Out of Space and Time
by sheraiah
Summary: The Tesseract and the Bifrost aren't the only ways by which to travel between the worlds, and there are more worlds than Thor has spoken of. When one of the pathways goes awry, the Avengers are called in to clean up the resulting mess.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Out of Space and Time

Author: sheraiah

Rating: T (to be safe, there's some swearing)

Genre: Avengers/LOTR crossover

Summary: The Tesseract and the Bifrost aren't the only ways by which to travel between the worlds, and there are more worlds than Thor has spoken of. When one of the pathways goes awry, the Avengers are called in to clean up the resulting mess.

Disclaimer: If I owned any of it besides the plot, I wouldn't be slaving away in retail.

A/N: I'm much more knowledgeable in the LOTR universe than I am in the Avengers universe. This is movie based on the Avengers' side of things and both movie and book based on the Tolkien side. Those familiar with my LOTR stories know that I cheerfully mix bookverse and movieverse without prejudice towards either.

This is my first foray into Avengers-verse. I may make canon errors, which I assure you are completely unintentional.

Hideous was the only word to describe the creatures. One moment the street was a relatively safe residential street, the next there was a bright flash of light and it was under siege by foul creatures who seemed to thrive on inflicting pain and death. Unfortunately for the creatures, they were wreaking havoc in an area that was under the protection of a very special response team...

"Damn, these things are ugly!" Stark commented as he blasted one of the creatures that was attempting to stab Steve in the back. "You're welcome, Capsicle."

"Be glad you aren't down here, Stark," Natasha retorted. "At least you can't smell them."

"Charming," Tony said dryly, speeding through the air to head off a trio of the beasts that had taken off after a group of civilians. "And I thought the Chitauri were nasty."

"Tin Man, there's another group of them about a block north of your current position. They have a hostage," Clint chimed in, putting an arrow through the third one in front of Stark.

"On it," Tony replied shortly. "JARVIS, divert power to the thrusters."

"Already done, sir," the AI replied.

"Good." He flew above the group, dropping down in front of them and blasting them before they could react. "Got the civilian," he said through the com link. The man had fallen where his captors had dropped him and had not moved. He was filthy, his long tangled blond hair matted with dried blood and obscuring the side of his face as he lay half on his belly, half on his side. Tony frowned as he realized the man's wrists and ankles were tightly bound. There was blood all over him, hardly any part of his body was without some sort of wound. Even the top of his head was not unscathed; his captors had been dragging him by his hair. Gently as he could while in his suit, the billionaire/playboy/genius/philanthropist rolled the man onto his back. And stared. This was no man. Tony was not sure exactly what the being was, male certainly, but not a man. "Cap, I think we might have a complication."

"Talk to me, Stark," Steve replied.

"I don't think this guy's from around here. He's not human. Don't exactly know what he is, but I doubt he with those things by choice; he's bound hand and foot." Tony said, for once not a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "He needs medical attention, too. He's pretty beat up. Breathing okay so far as I can tell. Where's Bruce?"

"Still on the Quinjet. So far we haven't needed the Big Guy," Steve replied. "These things aren't that tough or very smart."

"Okay, I'll get this guy to Bruce and then come back and help you finish mopping up."

"Copy that. Barton, any more strays?"

"Just one more group that I can see, Cap. Two blocks east, north side of the street in some bushes. Looks like they might have a camp there."

"Copy that. Natasha and I are on it. Tony, meet us there when you've dropped off our guest." Steve hefted his shield and headed for the last group, the Black Widow keeping pace with him.

"On my way," Stark acknowledged.

"How's he doing?" Steve asked, looking down at the being Tony had rescued.

"Cuts, bruises, possibly internal damage I have no way of detecting here. I'd say he's been tortured, Steve," Dr. Banner replied, cleaning a wound on the being's left arm and beginning to stitch it.

"I'd say you're right." He shifted, grimacing. "We found the remains of at least four men in that camp. Two of the bodies had similar wounds to what he has. The others..." Steve met the scientist's eyes. "We're pretty sure they were...eaten." Bruce wore a grimace that matched Steve's.

"How soon until we can get to the Helicarrier? He needs better than what I can do here, as soon as possible." Bruce looked sickened, but remained focused on the survivor.

"The clean up team is here, so as soon as the others get here, we'll take off."

"Light a fire under them, would you Steve? I don't like the way he's breathing."

"We're no closer to finding out how our guest and his captors got here, but we have more information than we did two days ago," Fury said, pacing back and forth along the bank of windows in the Helicarrier's conference room. "The bodies that were recovered from the camp were definitely human, with some interesting variations. Non-terrestrial humans, we think. Our guest, while humanoid, is more closely related to the creatures that were torturing him than he is to the humans the creatures killed. Common evolutionary ancestor, according to our geneticists." He turned back to the table that the Avengers, minus Thor who was visiting his parents on Asgard, were seated around. "There haven't been any sightings of the creatures in the last 12 hours, so we hopefully have tracked all of them down.

"As for our guest, they really did a number on him: cracked ribs, too many bruises and cuts to catalog, burns. He was tortured for an extended period of time, probably several days. The bodies in the camp show evidence of the same type of treatment."

"What have we been able to find out about tracking any new incursions?" Steve asked.

"We're no closer on that than we were two days ago. I'm hoping Stark and Dr. Banner might be able to shed some light on that issue."

"We can try," Banner said. "We haven't picked up any gamma signatures like the Tesseract threw off, but that doesn't mean anything. Thor's travel via the Bifrost doesn't produce a gamma signature, either. This could even be something entirely new, in which case it's going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack unless we have another incident." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before looking up again. "Right now, Tony's got a program running that looks for anomalies, both atmospheric and magnetic as well as the program to detect gamma signatures. That's the best we can do for now."

"Keep me posted, gentlemen," Fury said. "In the meantime, we'll keeping monitoring all civilian law enforcement channels for word of more of the creatures."

"Something's got you bugged, Big Man," Stark commented, glancing away from his holographic display to study his friend.

"The problem we're working on isn't enough to bug me?" Banner asked mildly, arching a brow at Tony.

"No. Either we'll find the needle in the haystack or we won't." He dismissed the display with a wave of his hand and called up another in it's place. "It's the hostage, isn't it?"

"Well, at the very least he might have a piece to the puzzle." He sighed, taking his glasses off and rubbing his eyes tiredly. "That is if we can even manage to communicate with him. We were lucky in that respect with Thor. I wouldn't bet on it with this guy."

"Any word from medical on him? I know you've been checking."

Banner snorted. "So have you. You aren't as slick as you think you are, Tony."

"I wasn't trying to be," the billionaire retorted with a smirk. "I know better than anyone that you don't miss anything." He shrugged. "Besides, I have an interest in how he's doing since I'm the one who saved his bacon in the first place. But, medical likes you more than they do me."

"That's because I don't hack into their computers or give them a hard time when they're only trying to do their jobs," Bruce pointed out, returning the smirk.

"I don't like needles," Tony said flatly. "I especially don't like needles filled with unknown substances held by S.H.I.E.L.D. medics." Bruce sighed, giving up.

"To answer your question: he hasn't so much as stirred. I asked them to notify me if he showed signs of waking." Tony just nodded.

"Have you slept at all since we got back? You look like hell." Banner grimaced.

"You know it's difficult for me to sleep here. I have, just not that much."

"You know, I've got this for awhile. Why don't you go grab a nap?" Tony turned to face him directly. "Go on, I promise I won't hack anything until you get back."

"I'll settle for you not blowing anything up," Bruce chuckled. "Okay, I'll go. But if we get any hits..."

"I'll call you immediately. Go."

Gray eyes fluttered open and darted about the room fearfully. What was this place? He took a quick inventory of his body, noting many aches and pains some of them more serious than others. He was lying on a soft surface, covered with warm cloth that was also soft to the touch and he could tell that his wounds had been seen to by a skilled healer. The room frightened him, however. It appeared to be made entirely of iron. To his knowledge, even the dwarves did not make such structures. Where was he?

A slight noise to his left startled him and made him turn his head sharply to look. A Man sat dozing in the chair next to his bed. His clothing was strange, like nothing the injured one had ever seen before. The Man was slightly disheveled, his wavy dark hair mussed. The injured one remained quiet, watching the Man until he stirred, opening his eyes with a start, as if he sensed the other's gaze on him.

The Man spoke, but the other could not understand his words. He sighed, frustrated. He had been hoping to get some answers to his questions. The Man did not look like the Men of Harad, so hope began to bloom in the other's breast that his fears had not been realized and he had not been sold into slavery by his former captors. He sank back into the soft pillow, watching the Man out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, he gasped, his breathing coming quickly, his memory returning in full. Orcs! The Haradrim had been overtaken by a very large band of orcs! His eyes darted to the Man again.

The Man was speaking in a soothing manner, showing both empty hands in a non-threatening manner. The other, with great effort, slowed his breathing and regained control of himself. He truly wished he knew what the Man was saying.

"Easy, easy now. I'm not going to hurt you. The creatures are gone. Easy now," Bruce kept his tone gentle, careful to show his hands and not to move suddenly. He really didn't want to have the other panic. He didn't want to risk triggering the Other Guy. He poured a cup of the water on the bedside table and offered it to the other. The being carefully took the cup, sniffing the contents before taking a cautious sip. Apparently not detecting anything amiss, he drained the cup and handed it back.

"Good, see? I'm one of the good guys." Banner smiled slightly, amused at himself. Tony would never let him hear the end of this if he had hacked into the surveillance system again. "Now, let's see if we can try to communicate at least a little." He pointed to his chest. "Bruce. Bruce." He pointed at the other. The being cocked his head, clearly debating whether or not to respond. Finally he pointed at Banner.

"Bruce." He pronounced it oddly, accenting the end of the name rather than the beginning. Banner nodded. He pointed to his own chest. "Legolas." Banner's eyebrows rose into his hairline.

"Legolas?" He was careful to pronounce it as the being had. The other nodded, repeating his name. Banner took a deep breath before replying, "Legolas Thranduilion?" The other started, staring at the man. Slowly, he nodded. Banner shrugged. "Well, if Thor's real, why not you too?" He chuckled, "Tony's going to love this, closet Tolkien geek that he is." Legolas frowned, clearly wishing he understood what Bruce was saying. The door opened, startling both of them, and a dark haired woman entered.

"Dr. Banner? Is everything all right?"

"Fine, Ms. Allen. I just didn't want him to wake up alone. We've got a language barrier, but I do know that his name is Legolas."

"Seriously?" she asked. Banner nodded. "I suppose nothing should surprise me any more," she sighed. "Do you think he'll let me take a look at him? I'd hate to have to trank him just to take his vitals."

"Why don't you demonstrate on me? He might be more apt to cooperate if he knows what's coming and knows that it doesn't hurt."

"Good idea, and it's kind of you." Allen was one of the few S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel who didn't shy away from Bruce and he appreciated it more than he could say. She wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Banner's arm, going through the motions of taking his blood pressure. Banner sat calmly through the procedure. Once she remove the cuff, she pointed at Legolas' arm. He nodded slowly and she wrapped the cuff around his arm and inflated it. He sat still, his pulse indicating that he was not as calm as he appeared, but he made no move to free his arm.

Next she took Banner's temperature reading and Legolas also cooperated, though he flinched a little when the device touched his ear. She checked Banner's pupils, then Legolas'. He flinched again, but not enough that she needed to redo the test. Smiling, she thanked him.

"I'll see what I can do about getting you something to eat. I imagine that you're very hungry by now," she said, speaking directly to him as if he could understand her. "Be right back. She slipped out of the room and Legolas shot a quizzical look at Banner. The man shrugged.

"Sorry, I have no clue how to explain that one to you. You'll see when she gets back." Banner stayed until Allen came back with a covered tray.

"It's not much, but it's hot," she said, pulling the table up and adjusting the setting on his bed until he was sitting up a little. He had jumped when the bed began to move, but hadn't made any attempt to leave the bed. Setting the tray down, she removed the cover. His nostrils flared a bit, but he made no move to pick anything up for several minutes. Hesitantly, he picked up a spoon and stirred the soup, examining it. Slowly, he spooned a small amount into his mouth. Encouraged by the flavor, he began to eat in earnest, making short work of the soup, crackers, and fruit juice. The pudding he hesitated over until he cautiously tasted it and it too disappeared quickly. Allen smiled at him. "Now, we'll let that settle awhile and if it doesn't come back up, we'll see about something more substantial for dinner."

Banner rose, addressing Legolas with a little wave. "I'll be back later, Legolas." The other's eyes followed him to the door, but he said nothing.

"You don't look like you slept," Stark commented as Banner walked into the lab.

"I did," he replied, "just not for very long. I went to visit our guest."

"Oh?' Tony's eyebrow lifted but his tone was not one of surprise. He knew Bruce too well by this point. "Did he have anything interesting to say?"

"Other than his name, no." Banner reclaimed his stool and fiddled with his tablet for a moment. "As I suspected, there's a language barrier."

"Oh well, can't always be lucky. Unless you're me." Tony swept his fingers across the display screen in front of him, sending the contents to Banner's screen. "Take a look at that and tell me what you think."

"Interesting. Atmospheric anomaly, but nothing weather-wise that would have triggered it." He met Tony's eyes. "We found our haystack?"

"Hell, Big Man, I think we found the needle." He tapped the screen in front of him again. "Let's run it through the simulator program to be sure, but yeah. I think we found it."

"I've found four anomalies so far," Banner said, eyes glued to his screen.

"See them," Stark replied. "I see the same four, and no others. I think that accounts for all the creatures we've dealt with. I've got a tracking program roughed out. Just need to test it and we'll be able to update Fury and the others." He touched the required portions of the screen and sat back, casting a speculative gaze at Banner, who grinned when he noticed it. "Do I detect a touch of 'Cat ate the canary' face, Dr. Banner? Spill it."

"I think we need to have a conversation with Thor when he gets back," Bruce said, amusement patent in his tone.

"Do we have to?" Tony quipped. In reality, Tony got along well with Thor, despite their getting off on the wrong foot with each other during their initial meeting.

"It appears that he's not been entirely candid with us."

"Thor? We are talking about the same demigod, aren't we? Mr. 'I'm incessantly cheerful and an open book in love with my hammer of doom' Thor?"

"The same," Banner confirmed with a chuckle. Tony's description was accurate, after all.

"Do tell."

"Evidently, there are worlds beyond the Nine Realms."

"And..." Tony turned on his stool to face Bruce. "You're killing me here, Banner." Bruce chuckled again. It wasn't often that he could get the upper hand with Tony.

"Well, let's just say that another legend may also be based in fact."

"Bruce. Buddy. Come on, you're killing me."

"Curiosity killed the cat, Tony."

"Satisfaction brought it back again." Tony leveled a pointed look at his fellow Avenger. "And also Tim Burton. Wait, that was a dog." Bruce laughed outright at that.

"Our guest's name is Legolas."

"Bullshit."

"Not at all. Hack into the security footage if you want to, I'm sure the exchange was recorded." Bruce's expression was amused, Tony's shifted from surprise to calculation.

"If that's so, and the Professor was correct on a lot of the other stuff too, I may have a partial solution to our language barrier." He pulled out his phone. "JARVIS, locate my English to Sindarin translation program and upload it onto my phone."

"You created a translation program for Tolkien's work? Why am I not surprised?" Bruce shook his head, laughing.

"English to Sindarin and English to Quenya," Tony replied, laying his phone on the counter. "I would have done dwarvish too, had Tolkien been more forthcoming with it."

"How old were you when you did this?"

"Probably 13 or 14. It was around the time I read 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Silmarillion'." He shrugged. "Dad was off at some conference over the summer and I was bored. That was before I got into MIT."

"Better that than blowing something up," Banner commented.

"Oh, I did that too. This is me we're speaking of," Tony deadpanned. "If it works, I'll upload the program into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s computer." He glanced at Bruce, the expression on his face that of a kid with unlimited funds entering a candy store. "When can we test it?"

"Legolas was awake earlier, he might still be," Bruce said, shaking his head with an amused expression. Tony, for all his genius, really was just a big kid at heart. For him, now was always better than later unless he was in trouble with Pepper.

"Okay, let me set the simulation to run while we're gone. That way we can kill two birds with one stone," Stark said, his fingers flying over the surface of his screen. "Annd...set! Okay, it'll take roughly an hour to run. Let's go see the elf prince."

Bruce passed through the doorway into the infirmary room followed closely by Tony. He paused just inside the door, Tony fortunately stopping before he ran into his fellow Avenger. Legolas was asleep, eyes closed and curled on his left side. As the two Avengers watched, his brow furrowed and he shifted restlessly in his sleep. Stark and Banner traded a look. They were both well acquainted with nightmares.

Bruce stepped to the side of the bed, motioning for Tony to stay where he was. Opting for the gentlest, least invasive method of waking the elf he cleared his throat and spoke in a moderate tone of voice, "Legolas? Wake up, Legolas. It's just a dream." The elf shuddered, murmuring something neither of the men caught. Bruce sighed, reaching out to lightly touch the elf's shoulder. "Legolas?"

The elf startled violently, slamming his body back into the opposite guardrail of the bed, his eyes flying open and his breath coming rapidly. Bruce stepped back, showing his empty hands and speaking softly and calmly as he had before.

"Easy now, you're safe," he soothed. Gradually, Legolas focused on him and his breathing slowed. "Good." Bruce reached behind himself and grasped the chair, turning it backwards and sitting down before pouring a cup of water for the elf and offering it to him. Legolas took it, his hand trembling slightly but stilling as he drained the cup. He handed it back, nodding briefly to Banner.

"Bruce." He caught the slight movement that Tony made then and his gaze turned sharply to the billionaire. Tony smiled and waved, patently trying to look harmless. He grabbed the other chair in the room and pulled it over next to Bruce's, mimicking the other man's placement of himself.

"Tony," Stark said, tapping the arc reactor under his AC/DC t-shirt. The elf studied him for a long moment before nodding.

"Tony," he replied, again putting the emphasis on the second syllable of the name. Sighing deeply he pulled himself into an upright position, wincing as his injuries protested the move and raked his hand through his hair, pulling it away from his face and revealing his pointed ears. Tony's eyebrows rose.

"Well, that answers that one," he commented quietly to Bruce. Banner frowned slightly at him.

"Rein it in a little, Tony. I'm not sure he's up to the full Stark experience." Humor laced Bruce's tone, but he knew Tony would take him seriously.

"Right. Let's see if this works, then." He laid his phone on the table after touching the screen briefly. He settled himself again, draping both arms over the back of the chair. "Hopefully, this'll make things a bit easier." Legolas' eyes widened and he stared at the phone. "Are you able to understand us better now?" Tony asked.

"The grammar is odd, but yes I do," the elf's reply was translated by the program. "Do you understand me as well?"

"Apparently, the grammar issue is one sided. Maybe you can help me work that one out later," Tony set his chin in his palm.

"How is this possible? The box speaks for you in my tongue?" The elf examined the phone, but from a distance.

"Oh, it's just another kind of magic, " Tony said in an offhanded tone. "I'll explain it later if you want. Unfortunately, business before pleasure. Bruce and I were hoping you could help us with something else." He glanced at Bruce. "We've been trying to work out how you and the creatures who hurt you got here. We think we've found out how to track it, if it happens again, but that's only part of what we need to do. We will also need to work out how to get you home." He paused, letting the program catch up. "Anything that you might remember may help with that."

"And may help you in the event that more orcs do end up here," Legolas replied softly. "I will help in any way I can but I have very little memory of it." He sighed, focusing his gaze on the far corner of the room, a habit both men recognized as a soldier's method of dealing with trauma. "Orcs are not kind to their captives. I remember a bright light, the orcs were screaming, and then everything smelled differently." He glanced at the men. "The next thing I remember is waking here."

"The bright light was probably the transfer," Bruce mused. "The anomaly would appear that way if you were inside it." He took his glasses off, turning them in his fingers as he thought. "Legolas, you might remember more later. In the meantime, since this seems to work well, Tony and I will make up a device for you to keep with you." He studied the elf for a moment. "Now, how are you doing?" The elf looked from Bruce to Tony.

"I am healing." He met Bruce's eyes. "I am alive, as I had not expected to be." He sighed. "I am missing my home, but do not take my saying so to mean that I am in any way ungrateful for your actions on my behalf."

"Ah, well, thank Tony for that: he's the one that got you away from the orcs," Bruce said.

"That was a team effort, Big Man. Clint spotted him in the first place, and you patched him up as best you could until we could get him here," Tony pointed out.

"You all have my thanks. I am in your debt." His expression was even more solemn than before. All three looked up as the door opened. The medic, Allen, frowned at Stark.

"He needs to be resting, without being stared at like a zoo animal, Mr, Stark." She moved the table over the bed again and set a tray down, her expression shifting into a smile for her patient. "I have something a bit heartier than soup for you this time. I even managed to snag a brownie for you." She raised the head of his bed again.

"Wait, how is this all on me?" Tony asked in a mock-affronted tone.

"Dr. Banner knows better than to overtire someone who's recovering from injuries like his," Allen said, checking the pitcher next to the bed. "I'll get you some more ice water," she said to the elf, smiling at him again before exiting the room. Bruce chuckled.

"And that's why you don't aggravate the medical staff." He shook his head. Tony gave him an arch look.

"Bruce, we're talking about me. I aggravate EVERYONE," Tony retorted. He leaned forward to examine Legolas' meal. "Oh, yay, Mystery Meat, limp green beans, instant potatoes, and the inevitable gluey pudding. The food here is a bad parody of school cafeteria food. The brownie is a bonus. Apparently, Allen likes you." He stood, picking up his phone. "I'm smuggling in some real food next time I see you. Don't worry, we won't leave you to suffer with that crap." He glanced at his phone. "I'll get you the translator as quick as I can."

"Rest," Bruce said. "Now that we can communicate, Fury will want as much information as you can give us."

"What does 'Fury' plan to do with me?" Legolas asked, his expression impassive.

"You aren't a hostile. So long as you stay that way, you won't be harmed." Banner said. Legolas nodded, turning his attention to his food.

"I have no plans to be hostile. I only wish to return to my home. I will assist you as I am able towards that end," he said, poking the green beans and wrinkling his nose. Tony gave a bark of a laugh.

"Don't eat that. Seriously." He touched the screen of the phone again. "JARVIS? Place an order with Goldman's Deli. The usual, for twenty, and have it delivered to the Tower. I'll have it picked up from there." He glanced at Banner. "We might as well go check on the simulation and then clue Fury in." He looked at Legolas again. "Don't eat that. Except for the brownie."

"For twenty?" Banner asked as they walked toward the door.

"We're feeding Cap and you never know when Thor will show up. Besides, I thought I'd butter Fury and Hill up a bit. Goldman's is the best." Tony smirked at him. He looked back at the elf, "We'll see you in a bit, Legolas." The elf nodded, picking up the brownie.

"You're telling me that Tolkien had inside information from another world during World War I?" Clint asked.

"Apparently," Tony said, fiddling with his phone. Fury had yet to comment. Steve just looked interested. He had read the books recently, and they had watched the trilogy over three nights while they were recovering from a previous mission.

"I'd say their time runs differently from ours as well, from what little Legolas told us," Banner put in, turning his glasses in his hands.

"And from the fact that orcs are still an issue," Steve mused. "Question is, where do we go from here?"

"He's not a hostile," Fury said, "but we can't just turn him loose, for obvious reasons. The last thing we need is another incident with the media."

"He shouldn't stay here. If what Tolkien said holds true, it may well adversely affect his health to be cooped up inside a huge hunk of metal," Stark said. "Not that my place is much better, but I can bring in some potted plants. And we'd be there to keep an eye on things."

"I want to hear you explain this one to Pepper," Steve said, grinning slightly. "Given that you've already inflicted us on her."

"Dibs on the ticket sales and popcorn concession," Barton quipped. Natasha just smiled.

"It's not a bad idea, really." Banner crossed the room towards them. "The building is secure, JARVIS keeps an eye on everything, and if the Other Guy can't destroy it, I doubt he could."

"Especially given that he's not from a technically advanced society," Tony agreed. He glanced down at his phone. "And if Pepper can put up with me, she can handle an elf prince. By the way, the food's here."

"What food?" Fury asked.

"I ordered from Goldman's. You're included." He smirked at the director. "You're wanting to question Legolas anyway. Why not do it over a meal? Might actually put him at ease a bit."

"Is he even well enough to be up?"

"So long as we keep it brief and he eats something, I'd say so. His healing factor's about on a par with Steve's from what we've seen thus far," Banner replied. He looked at Tony. "You know he'll insist on walking in here under his own power."

"Hello: elf prince and warrior. Of course he will. Same as Cap or Barton would." Tony smirked at the two. Barton shrugged.

"He's not wrong," the archer conceded. He looked at Steve. "You know he's not." Steve just gave a little, sheepish grin and shrugged.

Tony quickly drafted Steve and Clint into helping set the food out when it arrived in the conference room. Banner had gone to help Ms. Allen assist Legolas to the conference. He returned shortly, he and the medic steadying the elf between them. They settled Legolas in a chair and Allen fussed over him for a moment, the elf assuring her via his new translator device that he was well enough for the time being. Tony watched, a smirk on his lips.

"Allen." Stark beckoned her over. "Banner will make sure we don't overtire him." She frowned at him, fazing him not in the least. "Have you eaten yet?"

"I'm headed to the cafeteria when I leave here," she answered.

"I have a better plan." He handed her one of the styrofoam meal containers, stacking a dessert container on top. "Goldman's Deli, with my compliments." The look she gave him was both shocked and skeptical. "You've been kind to our guest beyond your job description and you're good to Banner when most people, even the ones who should know better, aren't. Let me spoil you just a little, no strings attached. Just my appreciation, and you're welcome to continue to bust my chops like you usually do." She gave him a slight smile.

"Well, someone needs to try to puncture your ego occasionally," she said, shaking her head. "Thank you, Mr. Stark."

"You're quite welcome, Ms. Allen." He nodded to her and sauntered over to Legolas. "So how was the brownie?" The elf gave him a quizzical look, apparently trying to decide if he was serious.

"It was very good." He almost smiled. "Mistress Allen was distressed that I declined to eat the rest of the meal." Stark snorted.

"That wasn't a meal." He set another of the styrofoam containers down in front of Legolas. "This is a meal." He opened it. "Roast beef sandwich au jus, coleslaw, German potato salad, pickle spear, and chocolate layer cake for dessert." He pointed to each item as he named it. "Eat as much as you want, there's plenty." He glanced at Barton, who was already digging in. "Cupid, were you raised by wolves?"

"He was," Natasha said, walking past with her own meal. "And so were you, Stark. The only ones with manners are Bruce and Steve." She shot Barton a sardonic glance, which he returned in kind.

"It's Goldman's," Clint said by way of explanation, taking another mouthful of potato salad.

"I have to agree with that," Bruce said, sitting down between Legolas and Clint with his own container. He did, however, wait to start eating until the rest of the team was seated with their food. Banner opened his container and then the smaller container that held the au jus before picking up his sandwich and dunking the corner of it, demonstrating the proper way of eating it to the elf. Legolas followed the scientist's lead, eating slowly and clearly savoring the flavor of the sandwich. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Tony wiped his mouth with a napkin and cleared his throat.

"Okay, now that the initial 'Grab, Root, and Growl' period has passed, introductions are in order." He turned to the elf. "Starting to my left we have Steve, also known as Cap, Capsicle, Spangles, or Captain America, Natasha Romanoff, also known as Agent Romanoff or Black Widow, Clint Barton, also known as Agent Barton, Hawkeye, Cupid, and Katniss. Director Fury and Agent Hill will be joining us in a moment." Lightning crackled across the bank of windows, startling Legolas. The team just exchanged a significant look and grinned.

"Good thing you ordered extra, Tin Man," Barton said, around a mouthful of sandwich. "Looks like our other champion eater just arrived."

Fury and Hill accompanied Thor to the meeting room and as soon as the Asgardian had greeted the rest of the team, they too sat down with their meals, Thor taking two for starters. Tony resumed his self-imposed role of introducer.

"This is Thor, Asgardian prince, God of Thunder, also known as Point Break and Hammer Time, Agent Hill, known as nothing else, and Director Nick Fury. I'll tell you his nicknames later." He smirked at the very slight frown Fury shot him. "Thor, this is Legolas. By the way, we need to have a little talk about information sharing later."

"Can it, Stark." Fury apparently had reached the end of his patience. "Thor, what do your people know of the worlds beyond the Nine Realms?" The Asgardian looked pensive for a moment.

"There are many, only a few of which have we been in contact with in any significant way," he said, brow furrowing slightly. "Why do you ask me of this?"

"We need information on one in particular, called Arda."

"Arda?" The furrows deepened. "I know little, my friends. Arda is insular, protected by a group of beings much like the AllFather. From what he has told me, they deem their charges not yet ready for contact with any outside their own world."

"You speak of the Valar," Legolas said, speaking for the first time since Thor and the S.H.I.E.L.D. director and agent had entered the room. Thor nodded.

"Yes, that is how they were named to me. You came from Arda?" Legolas nodded. "I was not aware that there were any pathways from Arda."

"I am not here by my choice, my lord, nor by the choice of the Valar, I suspect," the elf said with a grimace. Thor's expression turned thoughtful.

"Loki taunted me once by saying that there were hidden pathways between the worlds. It is unlikely that he is the only one to have discovered them." His expression became concerned. "He may have shared the information with his unknown ally as well." He met Fury's eye. "Of one thing I am certain: Loki himself did not cause this. The AllFather has stripped him of his powers and bound him too tightly to his quarters on Asgard for even Loki's wiles to break." His gaze swept around the table. "Heimdall will inform the AllFather of what has transpired. If he has any information that will help us, he will make it known to me." Fury nodded, knowing that that was the best he could hope for.

"Legolas, have you remembered anything more than what you've already told Banner and Stark that might help us?" The elf frowned, clearly thinking hard for a moment.

"As I have said, I remember a bright light and the orcs screaming." He glanced up at the Avengers briefly. "They do not like bright light. There was a sound as well, a deep hum, but discordant, out of harmony with the surroundings. After that came the light and then everything smelled strangely. I no longer recognized the sounds around me or the stars above me." He shrugged helplessly. "I know no more than that."

"You might still remember more later. It works that way sometimes," Fury said, his tone not unkind. "For the time being, you're almost well enough to be released from the infirmary. Stark has offered the use of one of his guest rooms for the remainder of your stay if you'd prefer to be somewhere other than here." Legolas seemed to look through Fury for a moment.

"I appreciate that you are not treating me as a prisoner, Director Nick Fury."

"You haven't given me a reason to," Fury returned, unfazed. Legolas merely nodded, returning his attention to his food. Fury looked around the table. "Anyone else have anything to add? Then we're done for now." He turned to Tony. "Thanks for the meal, Stark. I haven't had Goldman's in a couple of years." Tony gave him a sardonic nod as he and Agent Hill rose together and exited the room.

"Okay, the teacher's gone. What can we get into, kids?" Bruce shook his head with a chuckle, Steve looked torn between amusement and disapproval, Clint smirked and Natasha raised an eyebrow at the billionaire. Thor just grinned before taking a hefty bite of his sandwich. "Legolas," he said, turning to face the elf, "how are you holding up?"

"I am well enough," the elf replied. "I thank you for your offer of hospitality."

"The more, the merrier," Tony quipped, taking a bite of potato salad. "I wouldn't wish having to stay in this tin can on anyone. Well," he added, frowning darkly, "almost anyone." His expression brightened again. "Besides, I have better toys than Fury does."

"You're tiring, aren't you?" Banner asked the elf, his expression concerned. "This is the first time you've been out of bed for any significant period of time since you were injured."

"A little," Legolas admitted. "I am well enough to finish my meal, however," he said, a slightly impish expression crossing his face as he glanced at Tony.

"Good." The billionaire replied, humor lacing his tone. "If you thought that brownie was good, wait until you taste the cake." He shot a glance at Steve and Thor. "I haven't met a warrior yet who couldn't appreciate good food."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Out of Space and Time

Author: sheraiah

Rating: T

Genre: Avengers/LOTR crossover

Summary: The Tesseract and the Bifrost aren't the only ways by which to travel between the worlds, and there are more worlds than Thor has spoken of. When one of the pathways goes awry, the Avengers are called in to clean up the resulting mess.

Disclaimer: If I owned any of it besides the plot, I wouldn't be slaving away in retail.

Steve glanced at Legolas as the Quinjet they were currently riding in sped towards the Tower. He could see the tension in the elf's jaw, but his posture otherwise gave little indication of his unease. The super soldier didn't pretend to know the elf as well as Banner and Stark did, they had had more contact with him, but he knew how it felt to be completely mystified by the gadgets around them. Banner sat next to the elf, quietly conversing with him. The elf's replies were short, but polite, indicating that Bruce's ploy to keep his mind off the trip wasn't succeeding. Making a decision, Steve stood and walked towards the cockpit.

"Natasha?" She turned in the copilot's seat to face him when he addressed her. "Mind letting Legolas sit there for a few minutes?" She gave him a measuring look for a heartbeat or two and then nodded.

"Not at all, Cap." She rose gracefully, passing him with a half-smile. Of course she had caught on to what he was about immediately. He beckoned to the elf.

"Come on up, Legolas. We're flying pretty high right now, but we'll go to a lower altitude in a few minutes. It's a pretty amazing sight." The elf hesitated only a brief moment before rising and taking the proffered seat.

"We are above the clouds?" He asked, eyes wide.

"For the moment," their pilot, Grissom, replied, his attention on his controls. "We'll start descending in about three minutes.

"Have you ever been above the clouds before?" Steve asked.

"Only when traveling through the mountain passes," Legolas replied. "And to be fair, it was not so high as this." Movement outside the Quinjet caught both their attention. Iron Man flew along side the jet, waving when he saw them look in his direction.

"Show off," Steve muttered, humor lacing his tone. "We're descending in a couple minutes, Stark," he said into his com link. "Watch out for geese."

"Holy shit, call CNN! Capsicle made a joke!" Tony quipped back. "Don't worry, I goose-proofed the suit. Picking feathers out of the joints was a stone bitch."

"A goose? The bird gets bigger every time you tell it, Tony," Banner commented. "I distinctly remember scraping pigeon feathers off your chest plate, not goose feathers."

"Goose, it was a goose. Not a pigeon. Goose," Stark said firmly, executing a barrel roll. Steve chuckled, bracing a hand on the roof of the cockpit as the jet started to descend through the clouds. Soon, the sea was visible and Legolas gasped.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Steve asked. The elf nodded, unable to give voice to his awe. "Wait until we get over the coast. Sometimes you can even see pods of whales offshore."

"And the farms look like patchwork quilts," Banner put in, coming up to stand beside Steve. The coast came into view and Grissom turned to skirt it. "Look," Bruce pointed to a spout of white rising from a gray hump in the water. "Looks like a pod of whales."

"What are they?" Legolas asked, leaning forward to see better.

"Marine mammals," he answered. "Air breathers, but they live exclusively in the sea," he clarified, responding to the look of confusion he got in response to the translator garbling the term.

"Ah, yes, I have heard stories of such creatures." He watched, fascinated, until they passed from view.

"We'll be coming in over Ellis Island in a few," the pilot said. Silence reigned until the Statue of Liberty came into view, and the city beyond it.

"What is that?" Legolas asked.

"New York City," Steve said.

"That is a city?" The elf's eyes were wide, amazement and dismay warring for dominance in his expression.

"An extremely large one," Banner confirmed. "Don't worry, you won't have to deal with any more of that than you want to. Tony's building is private, at least our part of it is,"

"I do not think there are so many Men in all of Arda," Legolas commented softly, eyes darting back and forth as they flew over the city towards the Tower's landing pad.

"Captain, Dr. Banner, you might want to take your seats, just in case," Grissom said, slowing his approach in preparation for landing. They complied. The landing was smooth and Grissom lowered the ramp. "Always a pleasure, gentlemen, Agent Romanoff." Tony landed just at the end of the ramp and raised his face plate.

"Thank you for flying 'Air S.H.I.E.L.D'. Please gather your belongings and take small children by the hand," he said. "How was your flight, Legolas?"

"It was interesting. I shall not soon forget the experience," the elf replied, having regained his composure. He walked towards Tony, examining his suit minutely. Hesitantly, he reached out a hand to touch Tony's arm, glancing towards the billionaire's face for permission. Tony nodded and the elf laid his fingertips on the man's forearm. "You carried me. I remember the odd feel of this."

"Didn't think you were awake for that," Stark commented, arching an eyebrow. "Yes, I did carry you to the Quinjet so Bruce could patch you up a bit." He glanced at the rest of the group. "Meet you inside." He jetted off, flying down to his own landing pad. Legolas walked over to the edge of the roof, craning his neck up and watching with great interest as the suit was removed while Tony walked towards the common area of the Avengers' living space.

"Would that it was so easy to remove armor in Arda," he said, shaking his head in amazement.

"I can imagine," Steve said, thinking of the mounted knights of the joust at a Renaissance Fair Tony had dragged them all to a few months prior. "Come on. Let's get you settled."

"Welcome to my humble abode," Tony said, gesturing with the hand that wasn't holding the glass of bourbon. Steve had shown Legolas to the room Tony had set aside for him, just down from Steve's own quarters, and explained the basic workings of the bathroom and door locks to him before the two of them headed to the common area. "Drinks, anyone?"

"Stark, it's barely after noon," Steve protested.

"So stick to beer or soda, gramps," Tony quipped, "Not that it would make any difference to you anyway." Steve sighed.

"Have we got any Harp left?" The super soldier might not be affected by alcohol, but he had developed a fondness for the flavor of that particular brew. Tony grinned.

"Of course. I had JARVIS restock it while you were gone." He went behind the bar and poured a mug of it, handing it to Steve. "Cupid?"

"Just a Coke for now," Clint replied.

"Killjoy," Tony said with a smirk, handing him a can of the soft drink. "Natasha?"

"I'm fine for now, thank you," she said coolly. "I'll see you all later." She headed off in the direction of her quarters.

"Legolas, I'd give you a glass of wine, but not while you're still on meds. Try this, it's cranberry juice and seltzer. I think you'll like it," he said, setting a glass on the bar in front of the elf. "Bruce, your usual?" At Banner's nod of affirmation, he slid a glass of iced green tea towards the scientist. "Now, gentlemen and elf, what shall we do to pass the time until Miss Potts gets back from her board meeting?"

"Snacks and a movie?" Steve suggested. Barton and Banner nodded in agreement.

"As it happens, I programmed the entertainment system to add subtitles in Tengwar so you should be able to follow along easier," he said to Legolas. The elf had already been exposed to movies while in his infirmary room, courtesy of Tony, and he nodded his understanding. "Now: what should we watch?"

In the end, they had decided on something fairly tame, The Princess Bride. Steve sliced apples while Clint popped popcorn, telling JARVIS to filter the scent of it through the air ducts, which brought Natasha out of her quarters and she decided to watch the movie with them. Clint and Natasha claimed the left portion of the large, U-shaped sectional and Steve the right, leaving Tony and Bruce to sit in the center with Legolas between them so that they could explain when the translator garbled something. They passed the popcorn back and forth, Legolas opting for the apple slices although he claimed that he liked the popcorn as well, and settled in to watch the movie.

Though clearly enjoying it, despite only getting a fraction of the humor, it became clear that Legolas was struggling to remain awake towards the end of the movie. Tony and Bruce traded a look and Tony rose, exiting the room briefly before returning with a couple of pillows and a blanket. As the credits began to roll, Tony wordlessly set the pillows on the couch where he had been sitting and handed the blanket to Bruce before plopping down next to Steve. As the others began discussing what to watch next, Bruce convinced Legolas to stretch out on the center section of the couch. He was sound asleep before the opening credits of 'Labyrinth', the next movie they were able to agree on, started. Bruce settled by the elf's feet, on the side of Steve opposite Tony.

"Is he okay," the super soldier asked him quietly.

"Yes. This is just the longest he's been up since he was hurt, and it's been a pretty eventful day." He smiled at Steve. "Sensory overload. He needed to shut down for awhile to process it. He'll probably sleep for at least a couple of hours."

Natasha lasted halfway through the movie before nodding off against Barton's shoulder. He slid over, easing her into a prone position, he head pillowed on his thigh. Tony got up and brought back another blanket, tucking it around her before resuming his seat as the Fireys did their dance on screen.

"JARVIS, lower the volume of the elevator indicator and the phones," he ordered, sotto voice.

Bruce dozed off next, science periodical on his lap and glasses halfway down his nose. The scientist could sleep literally anywhere, and waking him suddenly was a bad idea of epic proportions so Tony just got a third blanket and Steve used pillows to shore him up in case he listed and beyond that they let well enough alone.

A soft snore reached their ears and they both glanced over to see Barton, chin in his palm, out like a light. Steve grinned at Tony.

"He's on his own," the super soldier whispered and Tony nodded emphatically in agreement. "Are you interested in finishing this?" he asked, gesturing at the TV.

"Maybe later when they wake up," the billionaire said, shrugging. "What would you rather watch?"

"We could finish 'Planet Earth'. It's quieter than this is."

"Good thought." Tony flipped it over to the documentary. "Where did we leave off?"

"Hmm, the part about the plains, I think." They lapsed into silence, Tony rising after a few minutes to refill both their drinks.

The elevator dinged some time later and Tony rose, circling around the couch to greet his girlfriend with a quick kiss . "How was the meeting?" he asked. "Do I need to have Thor and Cap go glower at the board of Directors again?"

"No, everyone was relatively well behaved this time. It helps that your latest version of the technology is being so well received and that the stock is up." She sighed, setting her briefcase down and rolling her shoulders. "Where's our house guest?" Tony pointed to the couch and Pepper walked over, peering over the back of it, her eyebrows rising.

The elf lay on his side, his left hand tucked under his cheek, right fist tucked under his chin, and his hair fanned out over the pillow, exposing his right ear. He looked impossibly young for someone that according to Tolkien's claims about elves could well be thousands of years old. The healing cuts and scrapes visible on his face, neck and hands only served to make him look younger and more vulnerable. A slight softening of Pepper's expression told both Tony and Steve that her maternal instincts had kicked in with him, just as they had when she first met Steve and the rest of the Avengers. Pepper cheerfully mothered the lot of them, even Natasha when the S.H.I.E.L.D. assassin would tolerate it. Her gaze swept the couch, taking in the rest of the occupants.

"Any more incursions?" she asked, careful to keep her voice low. "Not that I know anything about them." Steve chuckled, rising and walking towards the kitchen. Tony and Pepper followed.

"None in the last 24 hours." There was no point in pretending that she didn't know what was going on. If Tony knew something, so did Pepper. That was just the way it worked.

"More of the creatures?"

"Orcs, Pep. Some of them, yes, and something else that looks like a hairless mammoth on steroids that Legolas says is called a Mumak. That one was fun, I have to say." He grimaced, remembering. "I don't have a problem taking out nasties that are trying to kill me just to get their jollies, but having to kill a terrified animal just because some loser made a weapon out of it? Not my idea of a good time, kids." The hug Pepper gave him eased some of the tension lines around his eyes and he shook himself, pushing the memory into the back of his mind. "Off the topic, what do you feel like doing for dinner tonight?"

"Ordering in sounds good to me," Pepper said. "I just want to get out of these heels and veg on the couch for awhile."

"That's pretty much what we've been doing all afternoon," Steve said with a laugh.

"So why mess with a good thing," Tony said flippantly, grinning at Pepper. "How about I order from West Island Cafe, real food not junk this time see, Pep, and we continue the movie marathon when everyone wakes up? I already know what everyone likes."

"Except Legolas, but he's not proven to be at all fussy about his food thus far," Steve mused. "West Island works for me."

"I'm in." Banner said, setting his empty glass on the counter. "Hello, Pepper."

"Bruce," she returned the greeting, kissing his cheek.

"Steve's right, Legolas isn't a fussy eater. He told me that after having to survive on grubs and insects while out hunting orcs with his people a time or two, almost anything is a feast by comparison." Bruce shrugged. "After some of the cuisine in some of the more remote locations I've been in, he's not wrong."

"Ew. Thanks for that image, Brucie," Stark deadpanned. "Okay, JARVIS, make it so."

"Very good, sir. Shall I include enough for Thor as well?"

"He won't be in for a couple of days from New Mexico." He smirked at Pepper. "He decided to make a booty call to Jane. Ow! Pepper, that hurt!"

"It was meant to," she said sweetly. "You know he misses her when he's on Asgard and when he's here. Be nice."

"Moi? Nice? Tony Stark doesn't do nice. Billionaire, playboy, genius, philanthropist, asshole, remember?"

"Except when you do," Pepper said. "Shut up, Tony." She kissed him. Steve chuckled again, grabbing a Coke from the refrigerator. Bruce just looked down, a slight smile pulling at his lips. "I'm going to go change. Be back in a few." She walked to the elevator, heading towards the suite she shared with Tony. He waited just long enough for the elevator to return.

"Or not." He said, following her. Steve and Bruce looked at each other and rolled their eyes at the same time.

"Last part of 'Planet Earth?" Bruce asked.

"Good idea," Steve replied.

The elf twitched in his sleep, held fast by the nightmare. Something touched his head and he flinched hard, drawing his breath in sharply. The touch came again, soft rather than hurtful, and the dream's grip on him eased, fading as he became aware of a soothing voice accompanying the touch. He stilled, unable to make out the words, but the tone was unmistakable. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly and opened his eyes. That alone was enough to unsettle him, that he was still injured enough to sleep with closed eyes. The face above him was unfamiliar, a female with reddish-blonde hair and a pleasantly pretty face. She smiled, speaking again. He frowned, fumbling for the translator before finding it and activating it.

"Forgive me, the device was not active," he said, trying to regain his composure.

"Sorry, I should have realized," the woman said. "I'm Pepper Potts, Tony's girlfriend."

"He has spoken of you with great affection, my lady," the elf said, running a hand across his face, wincing when it pulled on healing cuts, and shifted into a sitting position. "My name is Legolas. It is an honor to meet you."

"The honor's mine, Legolas," she said with a smile. "Everyone's gone to clean up before dinner."

"Then I should as well," he said, rising too quickly before sitting back down rather hard as his head swam.

"None of us care about that. You've been hurt." She pressed him back into a prone position, tucking the blanket around him. "And it seems to me that you've already done more today than you should have." She shook her head, a look of fond exasperation crossing her face. "That's something you apparently have in common with the other people in this Tower,' she said, deliberately raising her voice as Tony, Steve, and Bruce entered the room.

"Hey, I resemble that remark!" Tony shot back, leaning down to kiss her.

"Yes, you do. So do Steve, and Natasha, and Clint," she said, the look of fond exasperation softening into a smile. She looked back down at Legolas. "Dinner should be here soon. We'll eat in here and watch another movie."

"I liked the one about the princess and the pirate," he ventured, giving her a tentative smile. "And the one that Tony brought me before, about the archer who defied the evil prince trying to steal the throne from his brother."

"Robin Hood?" Steve asked. "Which version?"

"The good one," Tony said. "The Errol Flynn version, not the crappy Kevin Costner one."

"Thank God!" Clint said, entering the room in Natasha's wake. "Sitting through 'The Prince of Thieves' qualifies as cruel and unusual punishment."

"The Sheriff was great in that one, though," Steve said.

"Alan Rickman is amazing in anything," Pepper opined.

"Too bad even he and Morgan Freeman combined couldn't save that movie," Clint said, flopping down on the end of the couch. "What're we watching tonight?"

"The choices are: Phantom of the Opera, Pirates of the Caribbean, or The Fifth Element." Tony said, hopping over the back of the couch to sit by Legolas' feet. "Votes?"

"Pirates," Clint said.

"Pirates," Natasha put in. "The film version of Phantom wasn't half as good as the stage version, and Chris Tucker needs to be fitted with a ball gag."

"Pirates," the super soldier said. "I wasn't here the last time you watched it."

"Duly noted," Tony acknowledged. "Pepper?"

"Pirates." She smiled at him. "You know I like Johnny Depp."

"Well, I know what I'm going to be for Halloween this year," Tony said, smirking at her. "Bruce?"

"Far be it for me to go against the majority," he said, "I haven't seen it yet, either."

"Legolas?"

"I have not enough knowledge to form an opinion. I have been entertained by your choices thus far. I see no need to dissent." He sat up again, running his hand through his tousled hair, straightening it and wincing as the snarls pulled on healing wounds hidden by his thick locks.

"Unanimous! Cue up the movie and we'll start as soon as everyone's got their food." Tony bounced off the back of the couch, heading to the elevator.

Legolas jolted awake, groaning. By far the worst part of being injured to his mind was not the physical pain, but the lack of control over his dreams that accompanied the necessity of shifting his will to healing his body. Elves were not immune to nightmares, but tended to suffer them far less than the other races when they were whole in body. He drew a deep breath, blowing it out slowly and calming his pounding heart as he stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. Sitting up, he fumbled to light the beside lamp, still less than comfortable with the wonder of a light that did not require flame. He rose, going into the bathing chamber briefly before returning to his bed, lying there sleeplessly for some time before rising again.

The room he had been given use of was large and luxurious, and included a large bathing chamber with a huge tub, shower (for which he had developed a definite fondness) and a balcony. There were plants in pots everywhere, ranging from trees down to flowers on nearly every surface in the room. Given that the rest of the building did not contain more than a few decorative potted trees here and there, Legolas had to guess that it had been done for his benefit. He appreciated the consideration, and in truth he was benefiting from the presence of the plants. They calmed him, and he could draw small amounts of strength from the larger trees. He sat underneath his favorite of the large trees, placing a hand on the trunk. While he did not necessarily understand this tree's language, nor it his, they managed to understand each other's intent and the tree had soon lost it's reticence with him. It ghosted it's leaves across the top of his head in an affectionate caress and he smiled.

"You are nearly as out of place here as I am, my friend," he said softly. "The Men are kind, and they are trying to make me as comfortable as they can, but I miss my home." He lifted his face, letting the loneliness wash over him. "I miss my father, and Gimli. I miss Aragorn, Arwen, and her brothers. I miss Faramir and Eowyn." He rested his head against the tree trunk, closing his eyes. "They will worry so, and I do not know if Adar can sense me at this distance as I cannot sense him." He fell silent, allowing the tree to give him what comfort it could.

The gradual lightening of the sky outside the glass doors that led out onto the balcony indicated that he had drifted into reverie for awhile. His sense of hearing, far superior to that of anyone in the Tower save Steve, picked up the sound of movement in the direction of the super soldier's room. Legolas sighed, his natural shyness warring with the loneliness that had driven him from his rest into taking what comfort he could from the tree he currently sat under. He heard Steve's footsteps going down the hall and heard the elevator ding. He sighed, leaning his head against the tree again. His stomach rumbled and he frowned, irritated with himself.

'This is pointless. They have been nothing but kind to me. I have no reason to behave this way other than idiocy. I will not behave like an ill-mannered child.' He rose, moving toward the small room Steve had called a 'closet'. There were clothes there, strange to him but of a similar type to what the Men wore. They fit reasonably well and were not uncomfortable, even if the shirts were odd with strange patterns on them. He showered, lingering under the hot spray of water because it felt good on the residual soreness of his injuries, before dressing in a pair of loose fitting breeches made of a soft, gray fabric and one of the odd shirts that had what looked to be lettering on it, grabbing the translator and padding down the hall to the elevator.

The common area was quiet when he exited the elevator, the sun's first rays just beginning to appear on the horizon. This level was mostly windows, floor to ceiling, except for the free-standing walls that made up the home theater area. He hesitated at the kitchen island, eyes roaming over the vast expanse of cabinets, feeling rather lost. He did not want to open every cabinet in search of something edible as it felt far too much like prying into his host's personal spaces. He chewed his lower lip, a bad habit from his childhood that occasionally resurfaced when he was stressed or unsure of himself, trying to decide where he might be most likely to find apples or even cheese.

"It is a bit daunting, isn't it?"

He spun, startled that anyone had been able to get so close to him without being heard, to face the speaker, nearly losing his balance and catching himself on the edge of the island.

"You should sit down, before you fall down," Natasha said, walking to him and moving one of the counter stools behind him. "It takes awhile to get your balance back completely when someone's tried to pound your head through something." She stood, head cocked looking at him until he sat down. "Now, what were you wanting to find?"

"An apple, or perhaps some cheese." He frowned, annoyed at himself for being taken by surprise. She chuckled, making his frown deepen.

"As it happens, I came in to get some breakfast for myself. It's as easy to find something for two as it is for one." She glanced at him. "I imagine you're pretty hungry. Healing takes a lot out of you."

"You are correct, it does, but I would not have you go to trouble on my account, my lady." She snorted, startling him again.

"I'm no lady," she said sharply.

"You are every bit as much a warrior as I, Agent Romanoff, and perhaps more so, but you are also most definitely a lady," he retorted, returning the sharp gaze she fixed on him. Unexpectedly, she smiled.

"Nice to meet someone who doesn't think those two terms are mutually exclusive," she commented. "Not the team, they know better, but most others assume either one or the other."

"Being underestimated is an advantage," he said, agreeing with her, "But it gets tedious in the long term."

"It definitely does." She turned, opening one of the larger doors and taking out the apples, a wedge of cheese, and a glass jar with a red substance in it. She gave him a slight smirk. "I don't really cook, never learned how, but I think I can solve the hunger issue for both of us." From a smaller door, she took an odd-looking, clear bag that contained a partial loaf of bread. Opening it, she placed four slices into a device on the island, pressing levers on the side of the device until the bread disappeared into the device. Taking a knife from the block in the center of the island, she deftly cored and sliced the apples and sliced the cheese, dividing both between two plates she had retrieved from yet another cabinet. The bread, now perfectly toasted, popped up from the device and she used another knife to smear the red substance on each of the slices before adding them to the plates. Taking two of the glass goblets from another cabinet, she poured fruit juice into each, setting one in front of Legolas and the other in front of another of the stools on the counter. She placed each plate the same way, pausing to fill another device with water and pressing buttons on it. "The tea will be a few minutes longer, but in the meantime we can start on this."

"Thank you. It will be my turn to do this next time, now that I know where things are kept," he said, before taking a bite of apple.

"Deal," she said, giving him a brief smile. They ate in silence for a few minutes. "A little later Cap, Clint, or Bruce will cook something more substantial. If it's Cap or Barton, it'll be eggs and bacon or sausage. If it's Bruce, could be anything. Bruce tends towards the exotic, he's traveled a lot, Cap and Clint are both military types who just like to eat." She shrugged, picking up her toast. "It'll just depend on whether Cap and Clint get back from their run before Bruce gets up."

"It sounds remarkably similar to traveling with two Men, four Hobbits, a Wizard, and a Dwarf," he remarked, smiling a bit in reminiscence. "Aragorn and Gimli cooked a variety of things, having traveled much, Boromir and Gandalf cooked not at all, and the Hobbits cooked homey things in great quantities." He looked away as a wave of homesickness passed through him.

"That must have been quite the experience," Natasha commented, her attention seemingly on her food. Legolas was not fooled, but he smiled and chose not to call her on her attempt to distract him.

"It was," he said simply. "I know no finer beings than the Fellowship and it grieves me that there are two of them that I will not see again before the breaking of the world." He shook himself. "Forgive me, I tend towards the maudlin while I am healing."

"We all do," she said. "You're at your lowest point, defense-wise. I've seen big men cry for their mothers when they're hurt." He watched her out of the corner of his eye, wondering if she ever did anything that was not deliberate. The elevator dinged and Bruce wandered in, looking slightly more rumpled and rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Good morning, Bruce. The water should be hot momentarily."

"Good morning, Natasha. Thank you." He yawned, stretching his shoulders. "Good morning, Legolas."

"Good morning," the elf returned. "Did you sleep well?"

"Once I got to bed I did." He gave them both one of his gentle smiles. "Tony got an idea after you both went to bed and we worked on it together until I went to bed around 3. I don't know if he went to bed or not."

"Knowing Stark, I doubt it," Natasha commented, rising from her stool and placing her dirty dishes inside yet another device. "I'll see you later. Play nice, boys."

"Thank you, Agent Romanoff," Legolas called after her. She turned, giving him a measuring look.

"Natasha," she said. "You're welcome." Legolas nodded.

"Natasha." Legolas wore a slight smile as he picked up the last of his apple slices. Banner smiled again, shaking his head as she headed off towards the elevator. He looked at the elf.

"How did you sleep?"

"Well enough," the elf shrugged.

"Nightmares?" the scientist asked, setting out a mixing bowl and an oddly shaped carton. Legolas sighed heavily.

"A side effect of healing. I must shift my will to healing my body and thus have less control over my dreams. It is annoying."

"You can control your dreams?" Bruce paused, interest plain in his face.

"Usually, yes." He nibbled on the last piece of cheese. "Nightmares are not unheard of, particularly when we are distressed, but they are exceedingly rare when we are well in body as well as spirit." He shrugged. "Our wills control our bodies."

"Does that extend to all things? Hunger, pain, and such?"

"Are you referring to physical functions? Pain and our reaction to it, only to a degree. Hunger, we are like any creature: we must eat to fuel our bodies, that is the way of it." Legolas gave him a slightly impish look. "What is it that you truly wish to know?"

"Would you answer if I asked?" Bruce asked, returning the look. He had had enough discussions with the elf to have become familiar with his habit of answering a question with a question if he was uncomfortable giving a plain answer.

"While it is just the two of us, yes, it is likely that I would." He chuckled. "I merely find it amusing that Men seem fascinated with that particular thing." Bruce laughed outright.

"We do, don't we?"

"I can see why, however. We are both alike and different there. Alike in that the basic functions are identical, and different in that our wills control our reproduction and that once we do find our heart's desire, we are incapable of desiring any other for the rest of our existence. We, like the wolf or the hawk, mate for life. We have offspring only at a time of our choosing, and only if both agree to do so."

"That suggests a far deeper control than we've ever documented in any human," Bruce mused. "It would also explain your accelerated healing."

"It is not without cost, I assure you." He rose, pausing to steady himself for a brief moment before copying Natasha's actions and putting his dirty dishes in the large device. "That is why I have been sleeping as Men do, with my eyes closed. Ordinarily, I would not do so." He sat back down on the stool. "I would help, if I may, Friend Bruce. I am competent to chop things, and to stir, if nothing else."

"Uh, sure. Here, slice these for me, please. In pieces like so." Bruce demonstrated. He then went back to measuring and mixing. "So, your people normally sleep with your eyes open?"

"We do. We can also rest while walking, or doing other things. But it is not as effective as true sleep and we do eventually have to truly sleep." He swept the pieces of the pecans he was chopping into the small bowl Bruce had set by the cutting board. "I have, at need, gone up to two or more weeks without true sleep."

"Did you suffer much in the way of adverse affects from doing that?" Bruce asked, placing some odd looking fruit before him and demonstrating how he wished it to be sliced.

"Extreme fatigue, impaired judgment and senses, and a very angry king and two Peredhel lords. And getting my ears boxed by my dear friend, Gimli when he found out what I had been up to." Legolas wore a fond smile. "Gimli worries that I do not take enough care for my own well-being." Bruce chuckled.

"Steve is like that, too."

"He seems a fine leader," the elf ventured.

"He is," the scientist confirmed. "For all that he's technically the youngest of the lot of us. Even Tony listens to him, and that's quite a feat in and of itself."

"Age means little when it comes to courage and leadership ability." Legolas shrugged. "I willingly followed Aragorn's leadership, though I had known him from when he was a small child and am very much his elder. He had earned my respect as a leader long before the War began."

"May I ask a personal and very impertinent question?" Bruce grinned at him and Legolas threw back his head and laughed.

"You wish to know my age, correct?" Bruce nodded and Legolas shook his head, obviously greatly amused. "I am just shy of 500 years old." He gave Bruce an arch look. " Do not be impressed by that, please. I am considered to be very young amongst my kindred."

"I might have been more impressed before I met Thor," Bruce said, returning his attention to his mixing bowl. "He's older than that, and considered rather on the young side, too, by his people."

"As I said, age matters little." He handed Bruce the sliced fruit. "What are we making?"

"Muffins. I thought I'd do several different kinds. The basic batter is the same, you just put different kinds of fruit and things in."

"Ah. What are theses fruits called? These look similar to some I have seen grown in the Shire," the elf remarked, indicating the strawberries.

"Strawberries, and I have to be careful with those. Pepper is allergic to them." Bruce set them aside, washing his hands after touching them. "I'll do those last. The others are blueberries, bananas, and blackberries." He indicated each in turn. Legolas frowned.

"What does this mean, 'allergic'?"

"Her body doesn't tolerate them, and it reacts adversely. She has trouble breathing if she comes in contact with them." He mixed the banana pieces and the pecans into one batch of the batter and filled the tins he had already greased. He repeated his actions with every batch except the strawberry and placed the tins in the oven. The batch of strawberry, he placed in a separate oven. He glanced over at Legolas. "I'm going to make omlettes for the heavier eaters, just as soon as they get back." He scrubbed the utensils and cutting board they had used for the strawberries, taking care to thoroughly scour and rinse several times before drying it and putting it back in front of Legolas and handing him more items to chop.

"Something smells insanely good," Barton commented as he and Steve entered the kitchen area.

"Bruce made muffins," the super soldier said, grinning like a boy who had been given a rare treat. The entire team knew that Steve had a fondness for sweets and teased him about it often. However, all of them tended to indulge him as well, knowing that his metabolism would counter any ill effect that eating them might have caused anyone else.

"I did," the scientist confirmed, handing him one he had just removed from its tin. "I'm also making omlettes. What do you want in yours?"

"Everything," Steve said before taking a bite of the blueberry muffin and rolling his eyes appreciatively. Bruce chuckled, dropping a pat of butter into the pan before adding the egg mixture he had already whisked. He dropped a bit of the contents of each of the small bowls on the counter next to him onto the egg mixture.

"One 'Everything But The Floor Tiles Omlette', coming right up," he said. Steve laughed, grabbing another muffin and passing it to Clint before taking two more, one for himself and one he handed to Legolas, who was still perched on the stool. "What about you, Clint?" Bruce asked.

"Same," Barton said, around a mouthful of muffin. "Damn, Banner, these are a food group all on their own."

"Thank you. There are some strawberry ones on the other counter," Banner said, nodding to the cooling tin. "I know you two like that kind." Steve and Clint traded a look before Clint went for the tin of strawberry muffins.

"We'd better take care of these," he said, running a butter knife around the edges of each muffin. "Tony won't touch them because of Pepper, and Tasha doesn't like strawberries."

He tossed one to Steve, who handed it to Legolas before catching another. "And Thor won't be back until tomorrow night. They'd be stale by then."

Steve was polishing off the last of the strawberry when Pepper entered the kitchen, dressed for work and carrying her briefcase and purse, which she set on the floor in the corner.

"Good morning," she said, going to the coffee maker and pouring herself a cup before patting Bruce on the shoulder as she passed him on her way to the center island. "II take it Tony had another stroke of genius last night after the movie?" she asked, settling herself decorously on a stool.

"He did," Bruce confirmed, sliding Steve's omlette onto a plate and handing it to the super soldier. "We think we might have a workable solution to the compatibility issue on the latest tablet."

"Good. Apple has gotten a bit complacent. We need to shake them up a little," she replied, sipping her coffee and perusing the selection of muffins. "Are there any blueberry?"

"Left side of the basket," Clint said, washing his hands in the sink. "There's blackberry and banana, too." He walked back over and handed her one. "Steve, Legolas don't forget to wash your hands." He gave Pepper a slightly sheepish look. "We decimated the strawberry muffins right before you came in."

"Thank you for looking out for me," she said, obviously amused.

"Anytime," he replied, grinning at her.

Tony wandered in, hair tousled and bleary-eyed. "Coffee," he growled. Pepper handed him her nearly full cup. He downed it and flopped onto the stool next to hers. Bruce shook his head, grabbing another cup from the cabinet and filling it before fixing the coffee the way Tony normally drank his and setting it in front of the billionaire and then refilling Pepper's cup. Tony grunted, picking up the cup and taking a swallow.

"He means, 'Thank you, Bruce'," Pepper said, picking up her own cup again. "And so do I."

"You're welcome." He flipped Clint's omlette. "Would you like an omlette, Pepper?"

"No, thank you," she replied. "The muffin is plenty for me. But, Tony would like one with sausage, onions, and provolone, please." She fixed a stern gaze on Tony. "If you aren't going to sleep, you at least need to eat."

"Half of one," Tony corrected. He glanced at Pepper. "I'll eat a muffin, too." His eyes flicked to Bruce. "Thanks, Big Man."

"No problem," Bruce replied with a half smile. He turned to Legolas. "Would you like the other half?" The elf nodded and Bruce turned back to the stove.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Out of Space and Time

Author: sheraiah

Rating: T

Genre: Avengers/LOTR crossover

Summary: The Tesseract and the Bifrost aren't the only ways by which to travel between the worlds, and there are more worlds than Thor has spoken of. When one of the pathways goes awry, the Avengers are called in to clean up the resulting mess.

Disclaimer: If I owned any of it besides the plot, I wouldn't be slaving away in retail.

A/N: I center a lot of the interactions around food, as I'm sure you've noticed. I'm of both Italian and German descent (I actually have 11 different nationalities in my family tree) and almost all family functions in my large, extended family revolve around meals. The sharing of a meal is a great equalizer and a good way to get to know someone.

A word on updates: I'll be writing as fast as I can, but I do work retail and it's absolutely insane right now. I loathe working retail at Christmas. Updates will be posted as frequently as I have the energy to write them.

"Do all of you live here at all times?" Legolas asked. In truth, he was as curious about the beings he was staying with as they were about him.

"No. Tony has other homes, but he's here most often since the team formed. Steve has an apartment elsewhere in the city. Clint and Natasha both have quarters with S.H.I.E.L.D., and I think they both have someplace of their own as well." Bruce shrugged, putting the frying pan in the device he had told Legolas was called a dishwasher. "I mostly stay here."

"I wondered. This is a good place, but there are times when one wishes privacy."

"He'd deny it to the grave, but Tony likes having us here. There aren't many people who have seen the things we have. It's just easier to be around people who know what you've been through." He closed the device and turned to lean against the counter. "We all of us have varying degrees of PTSD. Having someone around you that knows how to react if you're having a bad day helps a lot." The confused look he got prompted him to elaborate. "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's a fancy name for flashbacks and nightmares caused by seeing some pretty terrible things."

"Ah." There was a wealth of understanding in that one syllable. "I understand. My kindred are not immune to this." His eyes briefly met the scientist's, reminding him of stormy gray skies. "Nor am I, myself, if I am completely honest." The two of them were alone in the kitchen, the others having drifted their separate ways after breakfast.

"I thought as much," Banner said. "I triaged your wounds after Tony found you. I have a pretty good idea of what caused them." Legolas' hands curled into fists on the counter, his expression profoundly unhappy.

"Bruce, I," the elf bit his lip, his hands tightening to the point that his knuckles whitened. "I do not wish to speak of this where any may enter the room."

"Okay," the scientist agreed calmly, but with a hint of steel behind his words. "We could continue the discussion in your room." Cap might be the leader, and Tony arguably the most contrary member of the team, but when Bruce put his foot down, everyone listened. Legolas merely nodded, rising and beginning to head towards the elevator. Bruce followed.

"Talk to me," Banner said, sitting cross-legged on the floor in the potted-tree forest Tony had set up in the room Legolas was occupying. The elf was perched on the edge of one of the larger trees' planters, one hand resting on the trunk.

"I know not why I am willing to do this," the elf said. "I have known you no time at all."

"Sometimes that's best," the scientist offered. "I don't have any pre-conceived ideas about who you should be. All I know is that you're hurting and I want to help."

"Perhaps you are right," Legolas sighed. His gaze fixed on the corner of the room. "The orcs were doing what passes for play among them so far as I was concerned. They are foul, cruel creatures but more so to my kindred. There is a deep, abiding hatred between elves and orcs that goes beyond the warring over the centuries." He met Bruce's eyes briefly. "Orcs began as elves, captured by dark powers, tortured and mutilated into the first orcs. That is where the hatred arose. From that time, they were always cruelest to elves that they captured, far beyond what they did to any of the other races. They were trying to make sure I lasted a long time. They needed not worry about food for a time, the Haradrim provided them with enough of that for several days, and with additional sport when I was beyond their reach."

"How long were you their prisoner?"

"I am not certain. Four days at least, I think." He focused on the corner again. "My recollection is somewhat dim, for I was injured already when I came to be in their hands."

"You said the men in the orc's camp were Haradrim? Aren't they not exactly friendly themselves?" Bruce frowned.

"Gondor has a treaty with them, and for the most part they honor it. These were bandits, operating outside the control of the ruling powers in Harad. A troop of Gondorrim and I had been tracking them after a few villages were raided. The Haradrim were greater in number than we realized, and more canny. The battle did not end well for us. I do not know how many were slain, but I was the only one taken captive. They meant to sell me into slavery, I believe." He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the trunk of the tree. "Had I not been injured, they would never have taken me. As it was, I was merely biding my time until I healed enough to escape them. It was simply ill-luck that the orcs found us first." He was quiet for a few minutes before resuming.

"Some of them managed to escape. The orcs were content with the number that they caught. They carried us several miles before they felt safe enough to stop. I remember little after that."

"How long had you been with the Haradrim before the orcs came?" Bruce asked, his voice gentle.

"Not long. Less than a full day, I think." Legolas sighed, slipping off the planter to sit on the floor. "We were not so far from Ithilien that I could not have easily made my way to either my home or Faramir's. That is one of the things that concerns me: there should not have been orcs in that number there."

"I can understand that." Bruce leaned his back against the planter he sat in front of. "That's one thing that is worrying you. What else is?"

"My father. I do not know if he can sense that I still live. I cannot sense him at all, but he is more powerful than I am." He glanced over at the scientist. "He will be mad with worry for me, but if he thinks me dead, it will destroy him. And Gimli. Gimli will never believe that I am lost unless he finds some trace of me. Until then, he will never stop searching." He laid his head on the edge of the planter. "As I would do were it Gimli who was missing. Never would I give up searching for him." He looked up again, his eyes bleak with despair. "And I can do nothing. I know not even where to begin." He angrily looked away. Bruce reached over, laying a hand on his forearm.

"You can start by knowing that Tony and I are doing everything we can to figure out how to get you back. Thor as well, in his way, by asking his father's aid. He said they had had some contact with the Valar. Perhaps they will lend their aid." Legolas looked at him, very obviously struggling to regain his control. "We know how to track the anomalies now. That's the first step in figuring out how they work. I can't promise you anything, but we're all doing our best and our best is pretty damned good." The elf swallowed hard and nodded.

"I will search my memories for anything that might be useful, however small." He looked Bruce in the face again. "Thank you. I will try not to despair."

"You need to rest again. You're still healing." Banner's expression turned stern. "Don't even try to tell me that you don't need to. I deal with Tony on a daily basis." Legolas gave a weak chuckle.

"No, I will not argue. I am no use to anyone in my current state." He regarded Bruce, lower lip caught in his teeth. "I...I do not wish to ..." he sighed, frustration at himself evident in his expression.

"You don't want to be alone," Bruce said. Legolas shook his head. "There's a couch in my lab. You can rest there while I'm working, if you want to."

"Thank you."

"Dr. Banner, Captain Rogers is requesting admittance," JARVIS' voice came through the speakers, albeit more softly than usual. "Shall I open the door for him?"

"Yes, JARVIS, thank you." He pushed his glasses up his nose and straightened, glancing over at Legolas. The elf was still asleep, laying on his stomach on the couch, right fist tucked under his chin, eyes closed. The door opened and Steve walked in, moving quietly for all his size. He too glanced at the couch before moving to Bruce's side.

"I'm guessing he didn't want to be by himself," he commented.

"No," Bruce confirmed. "He gave me some more detail about what happened leading up to when we found him. It was pretty rough."

"PTSD is a bitch," Steve agreed. The super soldier had his own struggles with it and clearly sympathized. Bruce nodded, his attention caught by one of his display screens.

"Damn it! We've got another anomaly."

"Where?"

"Looks like Western Texas."

"Right. Get ready to go." Steve looked at the ceiling. "JARVIS, tell everyone to suit up and assemble on the helipad." He strode towards the door.

"Understood, Captain Rogers."

Bruce sent his systems into sleep mode and went over to Legolas, gently shaking the elf's shoulder until he stirred. "Legolas, I have to go. There's another anomaly." The elf sat up quickly.

"I might be of help to you," he said, scrubbing his eyes.

"You're not well enough to go, but I have an idea." He picked up a tablet from his worktable. "JARVIS, integrate communications with this tablet so we can contact Legolas if we need his knowledge, please."

"Done, Dr. Banner. I have also linked the Iron Man suit as well."

"Good." He turned back to Legolas. "Keep the tablet with you. Tony, Clint, or Steve will contact you for information if we need it."

"But you will not?"

"No," Bruce said. "I can't wear a com." He didn't elaborate further. "Why don't you head to the common area. JARVIS can reach you there as easily as here." Legolas nodded.

"Very well, I shall do as you ask." He stood as Bruce grabbed a duffel from a cabinet. "Be careful, Friend Bruce." The scientist gave a humorless laugh.

"Believe me, I'm not the one you need to say that to." He opened the door, motioning for Legolas to precede him. "I'll tell Steve you're standing by to help." The elf nodded and they entered the elevator.

"Okay, let's take a poll: which is uglier; orcs or these things?" Tony flew around behind Steve and blasted the large creature lumbering towards them. It fell over, but got back up again, roaring at him. "These are definitely harder to kill." He blasted it again. "JARVIS, send Legolas an image of these things and ask him if he knows how to take them down."

"Sir, he does. He informs me that they are called trolls and the vulnerable areas are the eyes and mouth and a projectile fired there will kill them."

"Tell him thanks." Tony spun in mid air. "Cap, Cupid, you hear that?"

"Copy that, Tin Man. Tell him thanks from me," Barton said, sending an explosive round into the eye of the creature nearest him.

"How many do you see, Hawkeye?" Steve had stopped throwing his shield, the creatures just shrugged the blows off and kept coming.

"Four total, Cap. The Big Guy's on one of them." A pause. "One down, three to go."

"Way to go, Big Guy!" Tony shot a small missile into the mouth of the one he was battling. It finally fell and did not rise again.

"Two down, Cap. Big Guy's onto another and the fourth is heading towards you."

"Roger that, Barton," Steve acknowledged, bringing up his shield and bracing himself.

Suddenly a large, green form interposed itself between Steve and the creature. The Hulk roared at the thing, which roared back before closing with him. The creature tried to knock Hulk off balance, but Hulk was cannier and ducked under the blow, sweeping the creature's feet out from under it before landing a massive blow to the creature's chest. Steve heard bones cracking. The creature shuddered and went still.

"Good job, Big Guy," Steve said. Hulk snorted.

"No fun. Puny," he said.

"I hear you on the 'no fun' part, " Steve said, stretching his back.

"Cap hurt?" Hulk asked.

"No, thanks Big Guy. I'm fine." He hefted his shield to his back. "Barton, are we all clear?"

"Not yet, Cap. I see another one about a block over." He paused. "Never mind, Cap. Looks like the prodigal has joined us." A loud clap of thunder sounded. "Thor got him. All clear now." Hulk looked at Steve.

"No more smash?"

"No, Big Guy, looks like we're done here." Steve couldn't help but smile a little.

"Need Bruce?"

"Yes. We need Bruce. Thanks, Big Guy. You did great." He stretched his back again. Hulk frowned.

"Cap hurt. Bruce fix." He said firmly. His skin began to grow paler, and he began to shrink. Within moments, Bruce sat on the ground next to him, clutching his ruined pants.

"Steve, are you hurt?"

"I think I strained a muscle in my back. Nothing serious." He favored Bruce with a smile. "The Big Guy asked me the same thing."

"He likes you. He likes all of you," Bruce said, rubbing his face, exhaustion starting to set in.

"Well, he looks out for us," Steve agreed. "Come one, let's get you to the Quinjet. Fury's going to want a full debrief, I'm sure." He gave Bruce a hand up, steadying the smaller man when he swayed on his feet. "Come on, you can rest as soon as we get to the jet."

Legolas sighed, sitting back on the couch. He had assisted as much as he was able, the rest was up to the Avengers. He hoped it would be enough. One troll would be difficult enough to defeat, let alone several. He had counted three in the image that had appeared on the device resting on the table in front of him. He glanced at the ceiling.

"JARVIS?" he called, still uncomfortable with the disembodied voice. Tony and Bruce had both tried to explain, but he really did not fully understand.

"Yes, sir? How may I assist you?" the AI answered in the same, flawed Sindarin that the translator used.

"Would you let me know how they fare when the battle ends, please?"

"Of course, sir. Mr. Stark left orders to that effect. Agent Barton has asked that his appreciation for your advice regarding the trolls be passed to you."

"I am glad it is of help." Legolas pulled his feet up until he sat tailor-fashion on the couch. He really wished he had something to read, even though focusing on it right now would be a struggle. "How does one work the moving pictures?" he asked, gesturing towards the large flat screen on the wall.

"If you wish, I can operate it for you. Is there anything you wish to see?"

"I would not know where to begin, to be honest. Perhaps you have a suggestion?" He shrugged helplessly.

"I have a list of suggestions Mr. Stark made for Thor. Your situation is similar to his."

"That would probably be best. Thank you, JARVIS."

"You are most welcome, sir,' the AI replied. The screen before him flickered on and music began to play.

_'Why are there so many songs about rainbows...'_

Legolas wore a slight smile as he watched the adventures of the frog puppet and his friends. He supposed it could be childish that he liked this so very much, but at the moment it was a very welcome distraction. Besides, Gimli would dearly love this. They would argue about it, as they did nearly everything else, but Gimli would love it. Particularly the rat, he thought. He shook himself. The Avengers were all well, according to JARVIS, and headed to do something called 'debriefing' before they returned to the Tower. He truly did not wish to sink back into the maudlin mood that Bruce had talked him through. Just then his favorite of the puppets appeared on the screen and his smile grew. The elevator dinged and he turned to see Tony's lady crossing the distance between them.

"Mistress Potts," he greeted her.

"Pepper," she corrected gently, smiling slightly. "Being left behind really stinks, doesn't it?"

"Truly, it does," he agreed. "I am unused to being idle when there is a battle afoot, despite knowing that I am not well enough to be of help in any way other than providing information at the present time. I have been assured by JARVIS that everyone is well."

"I know, Tony always calls me as soon as he's able after a battle," she said, sighing and sitting down gracefully. "I love the Muppets." She gestured to the screen. "I always liked Miss Piggy best."

"I do as well," he confessed, giving her a sheepish grin. "She reminds me a bit of a couple of ladies I am acquainted with. I was just thinking that my friend Gimli would enjoy this, but I think he would like Rizzo best." She laughed.

"Tony loves the Muppets, and he's gotten Thor and Steve addicted to them, too." She stretched. "It'll be awhile before they get back. I'm ordering massive amounts of comfort food for when they get here. Any particular thing you might want?"

"Chocolate, please?" She laughed again.

"Tony's created another monster, I see. Figure of speech," she assured him quickly, but he only smiled, shaking his head.

"He is studying my reactions to the things he introduces me to. He wishes to know more of me but does not wish to ask me as Bruce does." He gave her an enigmatic look. "The two of them have among the keenest intellects I have seen in all my years."

"In mine as well." She sighed. "They're good for each other, too. Bruce keeps Tony grounded, reminds him that he needs to make time away from his lab, and Tony makes sure Bruce doesn't retreat from everyone and become a hermit. He has a tendency to do that."

"I see that in him. He has deep scars that have yet to heal, if indeed they ever can. He sees the pain others bear more readily because of it." He smiled again. "That is true of Tony as well, though he tries to hide it."

"Unsuccessfully. We've all figured that out. We just don't let on to him that we know." She chuckled fondly. Her phone chirped and she glanced down at it. "That's Tony letting me know they'll be here in about an hour." She tilted her head, clearly weighing something in her mind. "They'll be ravenous, they always are. S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't take Steve, Thor, or Bruce's metabolisms into consideration when they pull them off a mission for debriefing. They need to start at least feeding them." Her expression shifted and she nodded decisively. "Definitely Italian. Heavy duty comfort food is in order, I think. And some cannolis and tiramisu for the sweet tooths among us." She gave Legolas a grin. "Be right back." He nodded, returning his attention to the screen as she walked towards the elevator, giving JARVIS instructions as she went.

The food made an appearance before the Avengers, even though Pepper assured him that they had arrived. They all had wished to clean up before coming to the common area, she had said. Legolas helped Pepper set the food out on a long table that they moved into the common area from an adjacent dining room. It smelled wonderful, and was kept warm by rather, he thought, ingenious warming devices. She pointed out to him what each dish was called, listing what was in it as well.

Soon, the team trooped in, filled their plates with the many dishes Pepper had ordered, and sat on the rug around the coffee table to eat and debate whether to put in a movie. They were all sporting minor cuts and bruises, save for Bruce, and Steve seemed to be favoring his back a bit. In spite of that, he and Thor were putting away a truly large amount of food. Bruce, too, had a large appetite and was doing the feast justice.

"There has to be a pattern to the anomalies," Bruce said. "We simply haven't found it yet." Dinner and dessert had been consumed and the Avengers, plus Pepper and Legolas were lounging on the couch in the common area and lingering over their drinks.

"Save that thus far only evil creatures have come through them, excepting myself," Legolas said, turning his wine glass in his hands.

"Maybe that's the pattern," Steve put in raising his beer to his lips. "Good way to test our defenses, or spread us too thin."

"Actually, we did think of that," Tony said, turning to stretch out on the couch and putting his head in Pepper's lap. "I still think that's at least part of it, but there doesn't seem to be a pattern to the frequency." He gestured, a sweep of his hand. "I mean, two one week, one the next, one the following, and then nothing for over a week? It looks random."

"I wish I had more news for you, my friends," Thor said regretfully. "The Allfather is trying to contact the Valar to ask their assistance but has not been successful as of yet." He gave Legolas a mournful look. "Were it safe to do so, we would use the Tesseract, but alas, that road is no longer safe. If it were to fall into the wrong hands, the result would be catastrophic for the universe. We cannot risk it."

"I would have no innocent lives risked on my account," Legolas replied firmly. "We will have to find another way."

"We just don't have all the data yet," Bruce said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Perhaps the pattern has to do with Arda rather than here?" Legolas frowned, obviously thinking hard. "If it is a matter of location there, it would not be discernible here, yes?"

"Yes.." Tony sat up quickly. "Yes, that's right, it wouldn't be. So, how do we work around that one?"

"We know roughly where I was when the anomaly that brought me here happened." Legolas chewed his lip, thoughtfully. "Far south of Ithilien, almost to the border." He glanced at Tony with a slight grimace. "Which I know means little to you."

"Maybe, maybe not," Tony returned. "Where might the trolls have come from?"

"I know not for certain, any of the more remote mountainous areas might harbor trolls." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "As much as I am loathe to say so, I am afraid we must wait until we have more information, which means that we must wait for more anomalies."

"I hate to agree, but..." Bruce shrugged helplessly. "As Tony's so fond of saying: we can't do the equation without all the variables."

"Sucks, but it's true," Tony affirmed, rising from the couch and heading towards the bar. "Anyone want a refill?" Pepper, Steve, Clint and Legolas answered in the affirmative and Tony made the rounds. "Careful there, Thranduilion. Don't want to mix those nice pills S.H.I.E.L.D. gave you with too much wine or we might be peeling you off the ceiling."

"That would only be an issue if he was actually taking those nice pills," Bruce said, giving Legolas a stern look over the top of his tea mug.

"I do not like the way they make my head feel," the elf complained. "I am well enough without them." He shot Bruce a slightly smug grin. "Besides this wine, while very flavorful, is not terribly strong. It would take far more than two goblets to affect me." Clint gave a snort of a laugh.

"That sounded like a challenge!" The S.H.I.E.L.D. archer/assassin raised a brow at the still smirking elf.

"Perhaps," Legolas said mildly, before becoming serious again. "But only after Bruce deems me fully recovered." He raised his glass to the scientist. "It is remarkably short sighted to unnecessarily irritate one's healer."

"You're healing as rapidly as Steve does. You shouldn't need more than a few more days." Bruce wore an amused half-smile. "There's a nice archery range on our training floor. I'm sure Clint will drag you down there as soon as you're cleared for it."

"Dragging will not be necessary," Legolas said, sitting forward eagerly. "I miss my bow."

"So do I when I'm sidelined," Barton said. "How heavy a draw are you used to?" he asked, moving over to sit next to the elf. The rest of the team, realizing that they had become superfluous to the archery conversation, began the movie debate anew.

Aragorn Elessar Telcontar rose from where he had been kneeling on the ground to trade a grim look with the elder of his wife's twin brothers. "The trail simply vanishes here. No signs of an attempt to cover their tracks, no false trails, nothing. Have you ever seen anything like this, Elladan?"

"Never," the peredhel said, worry chasing consternation across his face. "Nor have I ever known orcs to cover their trails."

"Let us fan out and see if we can find some other sign of their passing." Aragorn raked his hand through his already disheveled hair, looking far more like the ranger he had been rather than the king he now was. "I cannot give up on him."

"No, " Elrohir agreed, moving to stand between his twin and their law-brother. "He would not give up on us, any of us. We can do no less, for his sake and for that of Thranduil and Gimli."

They fanned out, keen eyes searching the ground and sparse brush for any sign of their friend or the orcs that had taken him, the troop that Aragorn had to travel with since becoming king of Gondor and Arnor following in their wake.

'Legolas,' thought Aragorn, 'where are you?'

The movie that had ended up winning the vote was playing, the volume lowered somewhat in deference to Pepper, Steve, and Legolas who had all dozed off before the halfway point. Thor had gone to his room before the movie began, citing a wish to say good night to Jane via Skype. Pepper was curled up with her head resting on Tony's shoulder while Steve occupied the thick rug in front of the couch, throw pillow under his head and blanket draped over him and Legolas in his preferred place on the couch also with a pillow and blanket.

"He doesn't really need the blanket, you know," Bruce said after Tony insisted that one was mandatory. "Cold doesn't affect him like it does us."

"He may not need it, but it's plain that he likes it," Tony argued. "Look how he curled up under it as soon as you laid it over him. It's a comfort thing, not a necessity thing." He sipped his drink. "Like you have to have your tea, and Cap his punching bags, and me, my bourbon, et cetera."

"Okay, point taken," Banner conceded. "He puts up a good front, but don't be fooled. He's got it, too, just like the rest of us do and he's going to have good days and bad days just like we do."

"Don't see how he wouldn't," Barton put in. "Guy's been ripped away from his world, not to mention having been tortured for how many days? That'd leave a mark on anyone."Natasha nodded her agreement.

"That's the surface stuff," she said. "There's far more there underneath than he told you, Bruce. Old hurts, things he hasn't dealt with." She arched a brow at Tony. "Unless I'm very much mistaken." Her tone said she wasn't. Tony glanced at Bruce and the scientist shrugged.

"My money's on Natasha on that one. As good as she is at reading body language and reactions, I'd say it'd be a sucker bet to bet against her." He fidgeted with his watch. "I mean, we all have our issues. Why should it be that much different for him? By his reckoning, he's recently been through a pretty intense and catastrophic war."

"Okay, I'll buy that," Tony said, nodding thoughtfully. Then he smirked. "Next you're going to say he has Mommy or Daddy issues."

"Mommy issues." Natasha met his gaze coolly. "He's mentioned his father several times, but never his mother."

"I noticed that, too," Bruce said, glancing at the elf. Tony looked thoughtful again.

"You know, Tolkien never mentioned Legolas' mother. He wasn't much on writing about female characters, with a few notable exceptions: Arwen, Luthien, Galadriel, Eowyn, Gilraen, Elwing, Celebrian to name a few and except for Galadriel and Eowyn, they're mostly mentioned in passing or in the appendices. Or the other works that his son published after his death. But he doesn't mention a wife for Thranduil and mother for Legolas at all." He shrugged. "Kind of makes you wonder who his source was."

"I vote for some full of themselves Noldor, personally," Natasha said with a sniff. "It's pretty plain from the collected works that the Noldor considered the Silvans as a whole and many of the Sindar to be little more than a bunch of hicks."

"True," Tony said. "Unkind of them, and not really accurate, but true." Legolas made a noise, almost like a sob in his sleep and everyone but Tony froze. "JARVIS, turn his translator back on, just in case," the billionaire said calmly.

"Of course, sir," the AI responded. Tony just shot an 'oh, come on now' look at his still wakeful fellow Avengers. The elf twitched hard, rolling sharply against the back of the couch.

"Nightmare," Bruce grunted, rising. Before he could take a step towards the elf, Legolas cried out, rolling off the couch and landing hard on the carpet, his feet hitting Steve in the backs of his knees. The super soldier rolled away and sat up, going from deeply asleep to fully awake in an instant. Legolas, too, had awakened, his eyes wide, obviously disoriented. He spoke rapidly, but in a tongue that the translator wasn't programmed to convert to English. He looked around wildly for a moment before his eyes landed on Bruce and he seemed to remember where he was. His shoulders slumped and he drew a hand over his face. The scientist knelt next to him, not touching him but close.

"Legolas, are you all right?" Bruce asked quietly. The elf nodded, closing his eyes and making a visible effort to regain his composure.

"Yes, I..." he looked at Bruce for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you."

"Don't apologize for having a nightmare," Steve said, scooting to sit on the elf's other side. "That's something we all do." Legolas just nodded, rubbing his face again.

"I think I shall retire for the night." He glanced around the room. "I thank you again, for everything you have done on my behalf."

"We're glad to," Steve said, giving him a reassuring smile, his Captain America charm on full.

"Yeah, don't mention it," Tony said.

"He means: you're welcome." Bruce rolled his eyes. "I'll walk you to your room." His tone was kind but brooked no argument and Legolas acquiesced without protest.

"Want to talk about it?" Bruce asked as they reached the door to Legolas' room. The elf glanced at him, lower lip in his teeth, something that Bruce had noticed he did when he was feeling unsure of himself.

"I..Bruce, I would not call that a nightmare, or even a dream." He studied the scientist for a long moment. "It did not feel like a dream." He turned, resting his hand on the door but making no move to open it. "I think, perhaps, that my father may now know that I still live." The look he gave Bruce then was one that held far more hope than he had seen in the elf's eyes since he had awakened. "We must find a way for me to return home."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Out of Space and Time

Author: sheraiah

Rating: T

Genre: Avengers/LOTR crossover

Summary: The Tesseract and the Bifrost aren't the only ways by which to travel between the worlds, and there are more worlds than Thor has spoken of. When one of the pathways goes awry, the Avengers are called in to clean up the resulting mess.

Disclaimer: If I owned any of it besides the plot, I wouldn't be slaving away in retail.

A/N: A lot of my personal fanon, or headcanon if you prefer, for Thranduil and Legolas comes into play in this chapter. It is not to be taken as canon in any way, shape or form, please. There are also references to one of my LOTR story arcs. Tolkien said very little about Thranduil or his origins beyond the fact that he traveled across the Misty Mountains with his father, Oropher, went to Lorien for a time and ended up in a vast forest realm inhabited by Silvan elves (Oropher and Thranduil were Grey or Sindarin elves) and that Oropher ended up as the king eventually. Thranduil inherited the throne after Oropher and 2/3 of the realm's warriors were killed fighting in the Last Alliance of Men and Elves against Sauron, the war which ended in Isildur cutting the One Ring from Sauron's hand. We know what happened after that. We know nothing about Legolas' mother or when he was born. Clues that Tolkien gives seem to indicate that he's somewhere between 400 and 900 years old during the War of the Ring, but there is a lot of debate on that and I'm not going to get into it here. The age that Peter Jackson gives for Legolas is actually the year of the Third Age in which Aragorn was born. The way I see it, more room for fic writers like me to play.

oOo

This city was far more visually appealing by night than it was by day, Legolas decided as he gazed out of the huge bank of windows that made up the wall of the common area's kitchen. 'Night' was a relative term, since he knew that dawn was not far off, but he decided that he liked the twinkling lights below enough that he didn't care about semantics.

He had been unable to return to his rest after bidding Bruce good night and had waited until he could no longer hear anyone moving around before returning to the common area. He had also asked JARVIS to be sure. He was sitting along the back of the couch that was placed against the window wall at the far side of the kitchen's dining area, back resting against the partition and legs stretched out along the couch's back and crossed at the ankle, sipping a mug of something called hot chocolate that JARVIS had programmed one of the kitchen's devices to make for him. He thought perhaps he liked it almost as much as he liked wine. He was on his fourth mug of it with the added bonus of some cheese and things called flatbread to nibble on. Natasha had been right, healing required fuel.

In addition to the need for fuel and the inability to rest, he needed to mull over his 'dream'. Legolas had no illusions in regards to his own abilities: he knew perfectly well what his own strengths and weaknesses were. He was one of the best archers in Arda, he had been called the best but he was not arrogant enough to make the claim himself, and was better than average with his knives. With a sword, he was competent but would never be up to his father's level. He had a definite talent for healing plants, helpful in an elf of the Wood of Green Leaves formerly known as Mirkwood and he could, on occasion, extend that healing talent to fellow elves, Men or dwarves. Only rarely, however, and in times of the greatest need as it drew from his own reserves of strength far beyond what would occur with most healers. He was not, however, suited to rule as his father did and he well knew it. So did Thranduil, for that matter. They had discussed it at length just after Legolas had come of age. Thranduil's strengths lent themselves towards making him an exceptional, in Legolas' opinion and in the opinions of the elves of the realm, king. Thranduil was strong, shrewd, observant and, when the need arose, utterly ruthless when it came to the well-being of the elves in his kingdom. He was also very powerful in terms of his affinity with the woods he dwelt in and in reading the beings around him.

Thranduil and Legolas had developed a tighter bond than most elven fathers and sons due to the fact that Legolas' mother had died while Legolas was still an infant. They were usually able to sense each other's mood and specifics on physical well-being even when leagues apart. Distance did not usually matter when it came to an elven parent or child being able to sense whether the other was living and well, but no elven parent and child had ever had the distance between them that Legolas and Thranduil currently had. Legolas had been terrified at first that he could not sense Thranduil; that had never happened before even when one or both of them were unconscious. He worried constantly that Thranduil would believe him dead and fade from grief before he could return from wherever it was that he had been transported. He tried to put a good face on things, joking with his rescuers and such. They had enough of their own troubles and fears without him inflicting his on them. Besides, it was something he preferred to keep private.

The 'dream' had shaken him, but in a good way. He had felt his father's presence, frantic with worry and then calming considerably as Thranduil realized Legolas was relatively well. His father had managed to sooth him in return, assuring him without words that he was well and would remain so now that he knew Legolas lived. He was not certain how much of his present situation Thranduil knew, but the fact that he was alive was the main thing. Knowing that his Ada would be waiting for him when he returned had lessened his fear and he was now able to focus on searching his memories to help Tony and Bruce discover a way back.

He heard the elevator door and contemplated removing himself to another area before dismissing the thought. He was comfortable where he was and none of the Avengers made him less so any longer.

"Pepper won't let me sit like that," Tony commented, grabbing a mug out of a cabinet and putting it in the device that had made the hot chocolate. Legolas shrugged.

"I would not tell her if you did so now," he replied, indicating the other end of the couch. It was a large enough couch that even with the elf's long legs, there was plenty of room for Tony on the opposite side. The billionaire's eyebrows rose but he grabbed his now full mug and made himself comfortable on the couch back.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked. Legolas shook his head.

"No, not after..." he shook himself. "I like looking at the lights," he said, gesturing towards the cityscape.

"Yeah, that's one of the best things about this place: really nice view of the city at night." Tony smirked. "The others are: something to do at all hours of the day or night and the food."

"I would not know about the former, but I can agree with the latter," Legolas said equably. He grinned at the look Tony gave him. "If you wish to know something, the easiest way to learn it is to ask me." Tony snorted.

"Where would the fun be in that?" he asked, smirking. Legolas grinned, arching an eyebrow at the billionaire and Tony chuckled. "All right, fine. The information we have on you isn't really that detailed, and I'm thinking it's like most legends: based in fact but embellished by the ones telling the tales. So, what really is fact and what was added by the reporters? You answer to 'Thranduilion' so that's true at least."

"That is true. I am Thranduil's son. If your source is like a great deal of the written history I have come across, unless it was written by someone such as Lord Elrond who is fairly impartial, there will have been a heavy dose of Noldor nonsense included," the elf said, his tone as dry as dust.

"Probably. We have far more information about other members of the Fellowship than we do about you or Gimli."

"I am not surprised that there is little information about Gimli. His kin are secretive and little is known of them by the other races. Gimli himself is an exception. While he will not reveal anything that his kin wish to keep private, he prefers to be direct. My own kindred are among the most insular of elves, which I think is part of the reason that we are regarded as 'more dangerous and less wise' by the Noldor in particular." He smiled. "We do not dance to their tune, and never have."

"I can relate." Tony shifted, getting more comfortable. "So, care to fill in some of the blanks?"

"What do you wish to know?"

"Where do I start? Okay, family life first. Single? Married? Any elflings running around? Who's your mom? Stuff like that."

"I am unwed, so no to the elfling question." Legolas shook his head, amused. "My mother was from Lothlorien. She and Adar met during one of his councils with his cousin, Lord Celeborn, and Lord Elrond in Lorien. She was killed by orcs when I was an infant so I have little memory of her, but I am told that I take after her in my demeanor much more than I take after Adar, until something angers me at least. In appearance, I am far more my father's child."

"So, you were born in Mirkwood, then. Where was your father born?"

"In Doriath, not long before it fell." Legolas' expression was solemn. "He does not speak of it much, but he has told me of his life there and of what he endured during Doriath's fall."

"That does cast a whole new light on his reaction to Thorin and company tramping uninvited through the realm, doesn't it? Personally, I think he was rather restrained in his dealings with them," Tony commented.

"Adar does not hate dwarves in general," Legolas said, quick to defend his father. "He would react in a similar manner to any beings wandering uninvited through the realm and harassing his subjects. As far as dwarves go, Adar has a cordial relationship with the Lonely Mountain, and has had since the Battle of Five Armies. He gets along well with Gimli, too, once he got to know him."

"It wouldn't make sense not to," Tony agreed, having rather a lot of experience in dealing with different factions within his chosen industry. "Particularly with Gimli given your friendship with him. Shieldbrothers, right?"

"Rather like the lot of you here," Legolas agreed. "Yes, that was so in the beginning, but Adar appreciates Gimli for his own sake now."

"Gimli was described to us a a bit on the dour side," Tony commented.

"Not true," Legolas insisted. "He has a fine sense of humor. He is also a master strategist when it comes to pranks. It will be a very long time before the sons of Elrond dare to pull another prank on us." He grinned wickedly.

"There's a good story there. Details, please." Tony looked like nothing so much as a child begging for stories at that moment and Legolas laughingly complied, recounting for him the tale of the last time Elrond's twin sons had played a prank on him, catching Gimli in the crossfire. The dwarf had definitely not appreciated being covered in manure and had plotted an elaborate revenge, aided and abetted fully by Legolas. The result had been so spectacular that the peredhel had declared the centuries long prank war between themselves and Legolas to be over.

He swapped stories with Tony until the billionaire dozed off just as the false dawn began. Legolas shook his head fondly and settled the Man more comfortably onto the seat portion of the couch before resuming his preferred place along the back of it.

oOo

Legolas was still perched on the couch back when Steve wandered into the kitchen area some time later, although he had put his dishes and Tony's mug in the dishwasher. The super soldier glanced from Tony to Legolas and arched a brow. Legolas gave him a shrug.

"He is resting. I thought it best not to disturb him," the elf said quietly. He'd already determined that Steve's hearing was far keener than that of the rest of his team, almost up to Legolas' own.

"How long has he been there?" Steve spoke softly too, apparently he'd discovered the same of Legolas.

"A few hours. Not long enough for his needs, I deem." Legolas nimbly climbed down, disturbing Tony not at all. Steve sighed.

"JARVIS, is Pepper awake and dressed?" He asked, looking up out of habit.

"Yes, Captain Rogers. Shall I tell her that you will be bringing Mr. Stark to their room directly?"

"Please," Steve said, walking over to the couch. "Won't be the first time I've had to help her put him to bed," he commented, lifting Tony as if he was a child. Stark muttered something unintelligible but made no other move or sound.

"I have done the same for Gimli a time or two," Legolas said, grinning. "Do you need help getting him to his rooms?"

"No, but thanks. I'll be back shortly." He headed to the elevators, the doors opening before him courtesy of JARVIS.

By the time Steve got back, Legolas had sliced apples, melons, and kiwi in a large bowl with grapes, blueberries, and tangerine sections and he was working on toasting bread. Steve grabbed a frying pan and began working on bacon and eggs, telling JARVIS to send the cooking scents through the ventilation ducts to the team's rooms save for Tony's.

"Thank you," the elf said, placing two slices of toast on a plate for Steve, "I do not feel competent to work that device," he indicated the stove, "as yet."

"It took me awhile before I did," the super soldier admitted, setting out a second pan for more bacon. "I was used to a small gas stove with two burners." He caught Legolas' look of confusion. "It was pretty primitive compared to this."

"Not as primitive as a fire in a pit," the elf commented. "Which would be the extent of my cooking experience."

"I never did that until after the Avengers were formed. Clint and Bruce found out I'd never been camping and we all went out to Yellowstone. I'd like to go back sometime." He turned the bacon before elaborating. "Yellowstone is a National Park, a wilderness area where people go to experience nature. It's absolutely beautiful." He grinned suddenly. "It was worth it just for the s'mores. Graham crackers, toasted marshmallow and melted chocolate."

"That, I would like to try," the elf commented, popping a slice of apple into his mouth, his expression contented as he chewed, eyes flicking toward the elevator. Bruce entered the kitchen yawning a moment later. Steve set a mug of already steeping tea in front of him.

"Thanks," Banner muttered, rubbing his eyes and then running his hand through his hair.

"You're welcome." Steve transferred the bacon from the pan onto a plate before adding more bacon to the pan. "Good morning again, Pepper," he greeted her as she sat down at the island. He placed a cup of coffee in front of her and Legolas set a bowl of fruit and a plate with two slices of toast on it in front of her before setting another plate and bowl in front of Bruce.

"Thank you very much," Pepper said, giving both Legolas and Steve a bright smile. The elf smiled back, his manner still a bit diffident with her. He had not had as much interaction with Pepper as he had had with the Avengers and he tended to still be a bit shy with her. Steve, well over any shyness in her presence by this point, just grinned and placed the first plate of bacon between Bruce and Pepper.

"Dig in while you can. Once Clint shows up, we'll all have to fight for the bacon." The super soldier cracked a couple of eggs into a third pan, into which he had transferred some of the bacon grease.

"That's so unhealthy, Steve," Pepper protested, seeing what he was cooking the eggs in.

"But so tasty," Bruce commented, picking up a piece of bacon. "He doesn't do it every time he cooks, Pepper. Once in a while it's fine." He gave her one of his sidelong looks with a slight smile. "Besides, his metabolism renders the unhealthy issue null and void. It's the rest of us, except Thor and now Legolas as well, who have to be concerned about it."

"Greetings, friends!" The Thunder God announced his arrival into the kitchen. "I have missed breaking my fast with you, although I would not forgo the company of my lady willingly, either." He sat down next to Bruce.

"Good morning, Thor," Steve said, placing the second plate of bacon in front of the Asgardian. "How is Jane?"

"Well indeed," Thor replied, popping a piece of bacon into his mouth and chewing appreciatively. "She is concluding her research in the New Mexico and will be traveling here soon to start a new project." He grinned. "Then, I will not need to forgo either her company or yours."

"Tony said she had taken him up on his offer of lab space and funding," Pepper commented, spearing an apple chunk with her fork. "I think she'll be very happy here. Tony is pretty hands off with the people he sponsors, so long as they're good stewards of his grant funds. Dr. Foster has a stellar reputation in that respect." She smiled at him. "He extended the same offer to Dr. Selvig, too."

"So he informed me," Thor said, around a mouthful of bacon. "Erik has not yet decided what he wishes to do." He frowned momentarily. "His mistreatment at my brother's hands still weighs heavily on him, I believe, though both Jane and I have tried to convince him that any and all blame lies squarely on Loki and his allies. He is still struggling."

"He's an academic, not a soldier," Steve said, flipping the eggs. "He doesn't have to mindset to be able to separate his own actions from the actions he was forced to perform. Not yet, anyway." he met Thor's eyes briefly. "Keep working on him, he'll eventually come around."

"So I believe as well, and so I have said to Jane," Thor agreed. He turned to Legolas. "How fare you, elf of Arda?"

"Well, thank you. Bruce has said that I may begin using a bow again in a few days, so long as I do not overtax myself."

"Excellent! I should like to see you shoot, if I may."

"I would be honored," Legolas said, bowing slightly. He spooned some of the fruit into a bowl which he then offered to Thor, who accepted it with a nod of thanks and promptly dug into it.

The elevator sounded again and Tony wandered in, hair sticking up in all directions and bleary-eyed. Steve just handed him a cup of coffee without comment and the billionaire plopped himself onto the stool next to Pepper, taking a huge swig of coffee as soon as he was settled. Pepper also made no comment, she simply smoothed Tony's hair for him and placed a plate in front of him, adding bacon, fruit, and buttered toast to it. Tony drained his coffee cup and Steve refilled it immediately. Halfway through the second cup, Tony began to pick at the food in front of him. Pepper smiled into her own cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Tony." He glanced at her, grunted, and drained his cup again. She chuckled. "That's Tony-speak for 'Good morning, Pepper, I haven't had enough coffee yet to be articulate'," she commented wryly. He gave her a sidelong glance, clearly awake enough to have the presence of mind not to scowl at her. She chuckled again. "And that's Tony-speak for 'I know better than to annoy my girlfriend'." Tony snorted.

"I'll annoy you later," he said, holding out his cup so Steve could pour more coffee into it. He caught Bruce' eye and gave him an exasperated look. "What, Jolly Green? We both know three cups of coffee is nothing for me."

"I don't want to watch you ricochet off the walls of the lab later," Bruce said dryly.

"Buzz kill," Tony said, smirking at him. Bruce just rolled his eyes.

oOo

Legolas sighed, sitting back away from the tablet in front of him and stretching. Tony had set up something called a program to teach Legolas the common language among the Avengers. It was a complicated tongue, full of contradictions, but he was beginning to pick it up. Learning made the time pass more quickly, and once he became proficient enough to read this language, he would have more to fill his time. Steve and Bruce had offered access to their extensive collections of books. The others preferred to use something called an electronic format for reading. Tony and Clint had gotten into a heated debate on the virtues of something called Kindle versus Tony's Stark Tablet reader that Legolas had followed perhaps a quarter of. He picked up the tablet and moved to the couch in the kitchen, curling up and continuing his lesson.

The sun had moved across the sky quite a bit when Natasha entered the kitchen. "Good noon, Natasha," he greeted in the language he was learning. She gave him a slight smile.

"Almost. It's 'good afternoon'. English is a tricky language. It doesn't make much sense and it contains a lot of words and phrases borrowed from other languages, particularly American English."

"I am discovering that. I am enjoying learning it, however."

"Just don't let Clint teach you to swear." She opened the refrigerator, frowning and muttering something in a language that was not English. "Is it too much to ask that I be left just piece sharp cheddar cheese?" She turned to face the elf. "They aren't men, they're eating machines," she huffed, clearly annoyed.

"Are you referring to the yellow cheese in the red wrapper? Steve hid it in with the vegetables so Tony and Clint would not find it before you did." He grinned at her. "He also put the flatbread crackers that you prefer in the broom closet." She shook her head.

"He's sneakier than they give him credit for. I'll thank him later," she commented, retrieving both the cheese and the crackers. "Care to share them with me?"

"Yes, please. I will slice us an apple as well," he said, rising and setting the tablet aside to do so. They ate in silence for several minutes before Tony and Steve entered the kitchen.

"Natasha, there's another anomaly," Steve said. "Southern Illinois this time. Suit up and meet us on the helipad."

"Right," she said, standing quickly and heading for her apartment.

"Legolas, keep your tablet near you in case we need you," Steve said, heading for the elevator.

"I will. Take care." The elf's expression was carefully neutral, a sure sign that he was distressed.

"Will do. JARVIS will keep you posted."

oOo

"Too damned close for comfort," Tony commented, pausing in mid-air to survey the lay of the battle that raged beneath him. "An Air Force Base all the way out here in B.F.E. and whoever is responsible for opening these anomalies just happens to drop another damned Mumak and a passel of orcs almost on top of it."

"Just be thankful that they missed and hit a soy bean field instead," Steve commented, sending his shield to collide with two orcs who were trying to stalk Natasha. "Thor's got the Mumak, we just need to clear out the orcs."

"Never thought I'd be glad for stupidity, but I'm profoundly glad that these things are terminally stupid, "Tony commented, blasting a trio of the creatures.

"No shit, Einstein," Clint commented, skewering a fourth orc. "Four down, eight to go. Cap, ten o'clock!" Steve spun and took out the orc trying to sneak up behind him with his shield.

"Thanks, Barton. And aren't you mixing pop culture references?" He turned and threw his shield at another pair of orcs. Tony guffawed, shooting past Cap to take out another of the creatures.

"You're learning, Capsicle. I'm so proud!" He landed, ricocheting a repulsor blast off of Cap's shield before launching back into the air. He grinned behind his face plate at the muttered 'smart ass' that made it through Steve's com.

"Everyone's a critic," Clint retorted, sending another arrow into an orc skull. "Nat's got one, that leaves the last for you, Cap."

"Got him," Steve said, catching his shield after it connected with the last orc standing.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. clean up team is 3 out," Clint said, hopping down from the tree he'd been sitting in. "Let's ask one of the nice airmen escorting us what's a good place for food around here."

"I could eat," Tony said, landing next to Steve. "Don't even have to ask Point Break or Spangles. Bruce, ya hungry?"

"Surprisingly, yes," the scientist said over the com. He hadn't been needed as his giant green alter-ego on this go around. "Airman Schumacher says that Skooter's on Main Street in the town closest to the base is pretty good."

"I'm in," Natasha said, wiping orc blood off a blade that she stashed somewhere on her person.

"By all means, let's go have a slice of hometown USA," Tony quipped. He glanced up. "There's our relief team now."

oOo

Skooter's turned out to be a little family restaurant in one of the buildings that had lined the main drag through the small town since the 1800s. It was slightly shabby, outdated, and cramped but the food was indeed decent and the citizens were friendly. Tony made a snarky remark that the Avengers were the most excitement the town had had since the enormous bicentennial mural had gone up on the building across the street from the restaurant, but other than that he was remarkably well behaved, and he tipped the entire restaurant staff several hundred dollars apiece when they left. Clint noted laughingly that there were an equal number of bars and churches lining Main street as they rode out to their pick up location.

"Yeah, they throw a pretty decent party every August here, too," Airman First Class Charles Schumacher, their escort/driver said. "Basically, it's an excuse to drive tractors down Main street, gather in the park, drink lots of beer and eat fish sandwiches and potato pancakes." He grinned over his shoulder, remarkably unfazed by the team. "That's a German farming community for you, at least this German farming community."

"Are you local, Airman?" Cap asked.

"I'm from New Baden, a few miles from here. Mom and Dad were just glad I got stationed close to home for awhile. It's been nice." He guided the van they were riding in past the outskirts of the small town. "Apologies, Captain. I have to really watch it through here. Deer crossing. They're pretty thick through this stretch of road."

"No problem, Airman Schumacher. I appreciate your diligence."

"My pleasure, Captain."

oOo

The team finally made it back to the Tower around eleven that night. While exhausted, and hungry again, none of them felt like going to their own rooms and so, like so many other times after battles, they all made their way to the common area. They filed into the home theater part of the common area.

Legolas sat on the couch, his expression solemn. Behind him, on the table he had apparently moved from the dining area, there were still hot boxes of pizza, hot wings, and pasta along with salad and an assortment of beverages. He gave them a slight smile and inclined his head.

"I asked JARVIS to request the foods you most preferred," he said, gesturing to the bounty on the table. "I was concerned that, in Mistress Potts' absence, you might not receive enough to eat if left to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mercies."

"I was NOT looking forward to having to cook something," Clint said, making a beeline for the wings. "Thank you, elf boy!" Legolas merely arched an eyebrow, recognizing what nicknames signified to this group.

"You are welcome, Cupid," he shot back with a grin. Clint laughed and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Thanks for not calling me Katniss," he said, still chuckling. Legolas made a face.

"Why would I do that? That movie, how do you say it?"

"Sucked pond scum?" Barton supplied.

"Exactly. 'Sucked pond scum'." The elf rose, moving to the table. "I take it that the battle went well?"

"As well as any battle goes," Steve said, picking up a pizza box. It was his favorite, one the restaurant called 'Garbage Can Pizza', with every conceivable topping. "We neutralized the threat and no one got hurt."

"That is usually the best possible outcome," the elf agreed, handing Steve a beer. He had apparently designated himself as the bartender for everyone except Tony. Legolas was remarkably good at reading nuances and body language and he merely stepped out of Tony's way with a slight bow. Stark gave him a smirk and a nod, acknowledging his perceptiveness before grabbing a box of his own, pepperoni and bacon, and a beer and heading back to the couch.

As soon as everyone was settled, Legolas glanced up. "JARVIS, please start the movie."

Clint laughed again.

"I think he knows us too well, guys." He raised his bottle to Legolas, who returned the gesture. "What're we watching?"

"I took the liberty of recommending a comedy this time, Agent Barton," JARVIS' cultured voice replied. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

"Good choice, J," Tony said, around a mouthful of pizza. "Cap hasn't seen that one yet."

oOo

As the credits rolled, Legolas stretched and looked around the room. No one had fallen asleep, although Clint looked like it would not be long before he did. Catching Bruce's eye, Legolas nodded slightly.

"You remembered something, didn't you?" the scientist asked.

"Yes, at least I believe I did." The elf's brows knitted in concentration. "I remember a shaft of light from the sky immediately prior to the flash of light and being transported here."

"That suggests that the anomalies are originating somewhere other than Arda," Tony said, sitting up abruptly from his lazy slouch. "If we can figure out where, we can trace and track them."

"You're suggesting that they're deliberate as well," Bruce said.

"You know I've thought that from the beginning," Stark said, shrugging. "They MIGHT be naturally occurring, but the fact that creatures that cause destruction and chaos have come through the anomalies every time one's opened isn't indicative of a natural occurrence."

"I agree with Tony," Legolas said. "It has seemed to me that your defenses are being tested."

"Yes, but by whom?" Tony asked.

TBC

A/N: The Air Force Base and the small town are not my creations. The town is my hometown, where I spent the majority of my childhood. My grandfather was a civilian Master electrician and mechanic who worked on base. He was also ex-army and a WWII veteran. He used to take my siblings and myself out to the base to watch the planes take off and land on Sundays sometimes. This was during the 1970s, so security was not what it is now. Skooter's and the mural are also real, or were the last time I was there. Admittedly, it's been several years since I don't have much family in that area now that my grandmother is gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Out of Space and Time ch5

Author: sheraiah

Rating: T (to be safe, there's some swearing)

Genre: Avengers/LOTR crossover

Summary: The Tesseract and the Bifrost aren't the only ways by which to travel between the worlds, and there are more worlds than Thor has spoken of. When one of the pathways goes awry, the Avengers are called in to clean up the resulting mess.

Disclaimer: If I owned any of it besides the plot, I wouldn't be slaving away in retail.

A/N: I received a review, don't remember if it was here or , complimenting me on not making Legolas the prettiest, strongest, fastest, etc. I love flawed characters, they're much more interesting to write, and really we're all flawed in some way. It just makes us more real.

The entire story arc that this belongs in all started with the two of them. If you are interested (shameless plug), the arc begins with 'Of a Father and Son', my first LOTR story. I've been writing fanfic since I was 11 or 12, over 30 years now, but I only started writing LOTR after my daughter was born and I only started writing Avengers with this story even though I've loved superheroes all my life, starting with Aquaman and Wonder Woman when I was in pre-school.

If I had to pick a fave superhero now, it would be a really tough call. I adore Cap, Barton, Thor, and Tony equally. Banner has a special place in my heart right now, though because I adore Mark Ruffalo's performance so very much. He has become my Bruce Banner in the same way that Viggo Mortensen has become my Aragorn, Karl Urban has become my Eomer, and Ian McKellan just is both Gandalf and Magneto.

oOo

Legolas notched the arrow, drew back the string, and released. As easy as breathing to him, he had missed his bow fiercely. It was an extension of his body, as much a part of him as his limbs were. He repeated the actions until the quiver was empty and then stood back, watching Clint shoot the rest of his quiver. The corner of Barton's mouth twitched.

"Show off," he muttered, not truly upset at finishing last. Legolas chuckled.

"Your aim is truly impressive," the elf commented as they examined the results of their shooting. "I have never seen your equal among Men."

"We're pretty evenly matched," Clint said, walking toward the targets to retrieve his arrows, Legolas mirroring his actions. "Your draw is heavier, and your range is longer but beyond that we're about on a par."

"Those two things are only because I am an elf," Legolas said modestly. "Take those away and it is obvious that your skill is the greater."

"What is this, a reverse pissing contest?" Tony asked from where he, Steve, and Natasha sat observing. "Geez, Legolas, have I taught you nothing? Talk some smack, for God's sake!" Natasha and Steve traded a glance and both simultaneously elbowed Tony in the ribs, Natasha much harder than Steve.

"There, fixed that for you," she commented, ignoring the scowl the billionaire shot her. Legolas just looked amused.

"We are not competing at the moment. We are saving that for when Thor returns with his lady." He grinned suddenly. "I can 'talk smack' with the best of them, Tony. Ask Gimli, should you have the opportunity. He will tell you so." A puzzled look crossed his face. "However, how does one have a contest with piss?"

"Well, we'd show you, but Natasha'd be at a disadvantage," Tony said, putting his arms between his ribcage and his companions' elbows. Tasha just arched a brow at him as if to say 'Really? You really want to go there?' as the color in Steve's ears spread down his face and below his collar. Legolas threw back his head and laughed.

"Never mind, I understand now." He turned to Barton, who was sniggering. "Shall we shoot another round?"

"Does a bear shit in the woods? Of course!"

"You have the strangest expressions," Legolas commented, shaking his head and hefting his quiver back onto his back before taking his place to begin shooting anew. As soon as Barton stopped laughing and took his position, the activity began again.

oOo

Once Legolas had reached the limit of activity that Bruce had laid down, he stayed to watch Steve and Tony, the latter in his suit, spar and then Steve and Natasha went up against each other. He had known that she was no one to be trifled with, but watching her spar, seeing her holding back, he realized just how deadly she really was.

She was also silent, unlike Tony who gave a running commentary to everything, including sparring. 'Smack talk' seemed to be his specialty and it was amusing. In fact, some of his comments reminded Legolas so sharply of Gimli that the elf had to bite the inside of his cheek and dig his nails into his palm to avoid disgracing himself. He excused himself and returned to his room.

He was regaining his strength and with it his control over his dreams. He still had nightmares, but they were less frequent and did not incapacitate him as they had before. The anomalies were still occurring, there had been another six in the last three weeks, all either orcs or trolls, and there had been civilian casualties with the last few due to where the anomalies had opened. That fact had hit him hard, as it had the team.

Tony and Bruce were still analyzing data, still searching for answers. Legolas scoured his memories for clues, spent hours with the two Men in the labs, ran over every scenario could think of to find clues, but it remained a waiting game, a game of cat and mouse, one in which the mouse currently had the upper hand.

OOo

Steve found Legolas in the common area, the elf's preferred place to be unless he desired privacy. He was engrossed in the language tutorial Tony had put together for him, determined to render the translator useless as quickly as possible. Steve sat down beside him on the couch.

"How're the language lessons going?"

"Well, I think," the elf replied in English, grinning when Steve's eyebrows rose. "Much have I to learn yet, but I learn." He switched the translator back on. "You have news for me, do you not?"

"I do. I had a meeting with Fury this morning. We've gotten the okay to take you into the field with us the next time there's an anomaly." He grinned at the determined expression that settled onto the elf's face. "So, with that, we need to get you equipped with the proper gear." Steve's expression grew serious. "Understand, you're an observer until I say otherwise and you'll have to follow orders."

"I understand. This is your realm, you know it and I do not. I will follow your leadership, Captain."

"That's all I needed to hear," Steve said, his expression and his shoulders relaxing. "If you're to a stopping point with that," he gestured to the tablet, "we can go get your gear." Legolas saved his lesson and powered the tablet down.

"Let us go, then," he said, eagerness patent in his expression.

OOo

Gimli, son of Gloin guided his pony along the path toward the Elvenking's stronghold at as fast a pace as he dared go. Legolas' people were still getting used to the reality of his friendship with a dwarf of Erebor and there had been a few minor incidents. He had no wish to end up on the wrong side of any of the Elvenking's subjects until after they found Legolas.

Aragorn had sent the messenger to him rather than directly to Thranduil. 'Thranduil will know that something has happened, Gimli. His bond with Legolas is the strongest I have ever seen between an elven parent and child. But news such as this cannot come from a mere messenger, or by letter. If I or Elladan or Elrohir could have made the journey, we would have. As that is not the case I trust this to you, my friend. Break the news to him as gently as possible and assure him that we have not given up our search,' Aragorn had written. Gimli wished it were otherwise, but Aragorn was right, Thranduil needed to be told by someone who loved his son as dearly as Gimli did and not by a messenger.

Gimli had journeyed to Erebor three months earlier to visit his parents. Gloin, while still in good health, was nearing the end of his life and Gimli traveled between Algarond and Erebor a couple of times a year to visit his father. Whether it was good luck or ill that put him so far away, he did not yet know, but he had received his parents' blessing to travel to the Wood of Green Leaves to meet with King Thranduil and then to travel to Gondor to join the search for his shieldbrother.

He slowed his pony, knowing that he was nearing an area where sentries would be posted. Sure enough, he was hailed a moment later.

"Well met, Gimli son of Gloin," a fair voice called. "You are expected." The sentry dropped down from the tree he had been occupying and Gimli relaxed a little when he saw that it was Legolas' friend, Thorondur.

"Well met, Thorondur." Gimli clasped wrists with him.

"I will accompany you to the stronghold, Gimli Elvellon. The King has been expecting you for some time now."

ooo

To Gimli's surprise, it was to the Elvenking's private study that he was taken as soon as he had removed the grime of travel from himself rather than the throne room as on previous visits. Thranduil was not in formal attire, he wore a simple shirt, surcoat, and breeches similar to Legolas' preferred attire.

"You have come to give me news of Legolas," the king stated after he had greeted Gimli, bade him be seated and handed him a flagon of ale. "I knew something had happened. Tell me."

"Aragorn writes that Legolas disappeared during a skirmish with Haradric bandits. The rest of the patrol he was with was either killed or injured. A couple of the survivors saw the bandits carry Legolas off. Aragorn and the twins tracked them. A band of orcs overtook the Haradrim and they tracked the orcs until all trace of them simply disappeared. That is all I know beyond that they continue to search." Gimli sighed heavily and took a healthy swig of the ale. "I brought Aragorn's letter with me if you wish to read it."

"No. I thank you, but no." Thranduil rubbed his forehead and Gimli was both shocked and concerned to see plainly signs of stress and fatigue in the ageless king. "Let me tell you now what I know: Legolas is alive. He was badly injured, but is healing now. I do not know where he is, only that it is very far away indeed."

"That's far better news than I expected," the dwarf said, his shoulders slumping with relief. "Question is: what now?"

"I intend to travel to Gondor. I have merely been waiting for you to arrive," Thranduil said baldly.

"I rather thought that's what you would say," Gimli replied, nodding firmly. "How soon do you want to leave?"

"In the morning. I wish you to have a night's rest in a bed before you have to travel on horseback." The king graced Gimli with a wry smile. "That is, if you will consent to ride with me as you do with my son."

"No escort?" he asked, surprised.

"No. Only my closest advisors know of this. Carandraug will act as regent while I am gone, as he has in the past."

"What does Master Luinloth have to say about it?" Gimli knew that Thranduil's valet/assistant/herald was a notorious mother-hen who rarely let the king out of his sight.

Thranduil sighed.

"He is going with us, of course, but only him. We will be able to travel far more swiftly the fewer of us there are." He sat back, studying Gimli for a moment. "Have you had your dinner yet, Gimli?"

"Not yet. The elves who showed me to my rooms made certain to bring me a light meal when I arrived."

"Neither have I. In truth, I have had little appetite of late. I shall send for a meal, and for Luinloth, and we will discuss the details of our journey over our meal." He rose and walked to the door, giving instructions to the elf stationed outside.

Ooo

The sun had not yet passed the horizon when the two elves and one dwarf set off from the stronghold towards the realm of Gondor.

Ooo

Legolas frowned, looking at himself in the large mirror. "I need bracers," he stated, turning to look at Steve. "And sleeves." The super soldier chuckled.

"You heard him," Steve said to the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent assisting them. "Barton may be fine with no sleeves and barely any type of bracers, but he isn't Barton."

"Understood, Captain Rogers. Just a moment, please." The agent left the room and Steve turned back to Legolas.

"Other than that, how is it?"

Legolas was dressed in black pants, boots, sleeveless shirt, body armor designed for S.H.I.E.L.D. by Stark Industries, and equipped with a lower tech version of Clint's quiver and bow as well as a pair of long daggers that the elf had had designed for him based on a description he had given Steve and the subsequent drawing Steve had made based on that description.

"Good, I believe. I wish to test it before attempting to use it, as you say 'in the field'." The elf turned, checking straps and buckles for sturdiness. "It is very well made," he said, nodding.

"Good. We'll solve the sleeve and bracer issue and you'll be set." Steve glanced at his watch. "Fury wants to talk to you before we head back to the Tower."

"I would have been surprised had he not wished to speak with me," Legolas remarked, tugging on a strap. The agent returned with a different shirt and the requested bracers, ending the conversation.

Ooo

"I know Cap's briefed you a bit on the chain of command and your role," Fury said, pacing along the guard rail on the meeting room's deck. "I want to be certain it's crystal clear to you that we're doing you a courtesy here, in part because you've been assisting the team wherever you could and in part because you're stuck here for the foreseeable future until Stark and Banner have their Eureka moment."

"I do understand that, Director, and I appreciate that this was far from an easy decision," the elf replied. "I am grateful to be of use until I can go home." He met Fury's eye calmly. "It is the least I can do to repay both S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers for their actions on my behalf." Fury nodded, turning to face Steve.

"That's it then. Captain, you're responsible for him. See that neither of you make me regret this." He nodded to both of them before exiting the room. Steve turned to Legolas.

"The Quinjet's waiting for us. We'll make it back to the Tower in time for dinner."

ooo

The call came in the wee hours the next morning. An anomaly had opened over Eastern Tennessee and the Avengers were needed. Steve's instructions to Legolas were explicit: he was to stay with the two agents accompanying the team and with Banner, unless Banner was needed. If and when Steve decided they needed Legolas, he would call for him. Other than that, he was to act as an observer and support crew only. The elf accepted the orders without argument and they headed out to face whatever had been sent through from Arda this time.

"Do we have a visual yet?" Cap asked, as soon as his cowl was in place.

"Infrared only," Natasha replied from the copilot's seat. Whatever they are, they're big and they don't give off much of a heat signature. We've had some civilian law enforcement chatter, but not much. It's a pretty small town, not a big police force."

"Can we make any sense of it?"

"Not really. Mostly what's come through have been screams, and then static." She turned to look at him. "I don't like the feel of this one, Cap."

"Neither do I," he replied, his jaw tightening. "We go in full force, defenses up." He looked at Bruce. "Sorry, Bruce, but I think we're going to need the Big Guy on this one."

"I thought as much," the scientist sighed. He glanced at Legolas. He and Steve had made certain that Legolas knew what Bruce's role within the team entailed. The elf had been surprised, but had taken the news remarkably in stride and had shown no hesitation in his presence since, despite being shown photos and video of the Other Guy.

"Be ready to suit up as soon as we reach the site. We'll have a look around and drop you where you'll do the most good." Banner merely nodded in reply.

The sky was just beginning to lighten when they arrived at the site. A quick fly over did nothing to add to their information so the team, minus Bruce, exited the jet to do some reconnaissance. It was no more than a few minutes before Steve, sounding more stressed than Legolas had yet heard him, requested that the Big Guy join the rest as soon as possible. Bruce leapt from the jet, transforming as he fell. Legolas, nerves taut as his bow string, listened to the chatter on the com.

"Shit! What the hell are these things?!" Barton's voice came over the com. A faint explosion sounded. "One down. Nat, you've got movement at 5 o'clock."

"See it," she said tersely. A pause, and Legolas could hear Tony's repulsors. "Thanks, Stark."

"No problem," Tony replied. "These damned things are fast. We could really use Point Break right about now. Cap, watch your back." His repulsors sounded over the com again. "Damnit, Cap, move your ass!" A pause. "Cupid, do you have a visual on Cap?"

"Negative," came Clint's reply. "Nat, you see him?"

"No. I'm headed toward his last known location. Keep these things off my back, Barton." Silence for several minutes, then... "Stark, get down here! Cap's down!"

"Roger that," Tony said sharply. A pause and then: "I've got Cap and the Big Guy's with Natasha. Heading to the jet, open the rear door for me."

Tony landed on the open ramp a few heartbeats later, Steve clasped in his arms, unconscious. Legolas and the two agents rushed to lower the injured super soldier to the deck. The elf, seeing the Man's injuries, drew in a sharp breath.

"Here, right here," he said, pointing to a puncture wound in the Captain's thigh. "It is a venom. It does not kill, merely incapacitates. He will wake in a few hours and be ill for several days, but he will live." He locked eyes with Tony, who had flipped up his face plate as soon as he'd landed. "How many are there?"

"I don't know," the billionaire replied, frustration lacing his tone. "We can barely see the damned things. What the hell are they?"

"Spiders, from the wood I was born in. He looked at the two agents and then back at Tony. "You will need my help. I have fought these creatures more times than I can count."

"Right. Okay, making an executive decision: Legolas, I'll give you a lift down." He looked at the agents. "Give him a com. Now." The agent didn't argue, just handed a spare com to the elf who attached and activated it as he had been taught to. "Let's go."

Legolas stood and walked to the end of the ramp. Tony grabbed a fist full of his quiver harness and leapt off the ramp.

Ooo

They landed nest to Natasha and Hulk. Legolas could hear the scuttling of multiple spiders in the woods around them.

"I hear at least a dozen," he said, drawing an arrow. "They are all around us. Do not let them close with you, or you will be in the same state as Steve." His eyes flicked up. "Barton, be wary. They climb faster than you can."

"Copy that. I've taken out five of them already."

"Then I shall have to catch up," Legolas said, a feral grin settling on his face. "The one who kills the most gets to choose our meal."

"You're on," Barton said. "Heads up, I see movement at your 2 o'clock."

"Roger that," Tony said, rising back into the air. He fired several blasts in that direction and was rewarded with an unearthly shriek.

"One for Tony," Legolas remarked. He caught a slight movement to his left and quickly turned in that direction, loosing his arrow as soon as he'd sighted. "And one for me." Natasha fired a volley into the brush ahead of them and was rewarded with another shriek. "One for Natasha" He glanced at her. "They will grow more wary now. We must be cautious. If we do not kill all of them by the time the sun rises they will retreat and it will be difficult to find them."

"You're the expert here," Tony said. "Just tell me where to aim." Just then they heard Clint curse and a crash. "Talk to me, Junior Birdman!"

"'M okay. One of the ugly f*ckers tried to grab my leg. I had to jump for it. I'm on my way to your location." Clint sounded a little strained but functional.

"Be careful," Legolas said. "Listen for the sound their legs make."

"Roger that."

The elf's eyes scanned the trees around them, ears straining for the tiniest sound that could betray the presence of a spider. "They are moving away from us, to the North." He looked at Natasha. "They have likely found what they deem to be an easier meal than us. We must give chase." He gave Clint a nod and a once over as the archer entered the clearing. "This will be more dangerous than simply picking them off. My people rarely chase spiders. Only at greatest need, to protect others will we attempt to chase them down. Stay together."

They moved as silently as possible, Hulk surprisingly moving very quietly for something his size. Tony went aloft again, opting to provide air support and evac if necessary. They moved through the trees, speaking only when necessary. Legolas was uneasy, there was something niggling at the back of his brain but he didn't have time to sort it out. After a few tense moments, he began to hear the spiders again.

"'Ware. Keep your wits about you now," he cautioned softly. He and Clint both notched arrows, letting fly as soon as he had a target. Natasha fired her pistols steadily as he and Clint loosed arrow after arrow in the gloom. Tony stayed aloft, but blasted any creature foolish enough to betray its position to him. As they fought their way through, his ears began to pick up additional sounds of fighting.

"Be careful, there are other warriors here, " he hissed, looping his bow over his back, "Now it is time for closer weapons." He drew his knives and darted forward, slashing a spider's belly as he ran under it. Natasha emptied her guns and Tony grabbed her, hauling her back to the jet, Cap's shield in her grasp. Hulk just looked things over for a moment.

"Hulk smash bugs!' he announced before wading into the fray. He was stung, but the venom had little to no effect on him. The stings hurt, however, and he screamed his rage ind went after the spiders with far more ferocity than before. The creatures scattered before him, running either into Legolas' and Clint's paths or falling prey to Tony's repulsors once he rejoined the fray. The spider's sounds faded after awhile and Legolas paused, wiping black fluid off his blades.

"The sun is rising," the elf said, glancing at the sky. "I no longer hear spiders, but do not assume that there are none." He cast a smirk at Barton. "What is your tally, friend Clint?"

"Twelve," Barton replied, a grim smile on his lips. "You?"

"Ten. I look forward to your choice of food." He looked up at Hulk. "What of you, Big Guy? How many for you?"

"Hulk smash bugs, many bugs," Bruce alter ego said. Clint and Legolas traded a look.

"You can pick the meal, Big Guy. I'll pick the dessert." He grinned again. "And Tony can pick up the tab."

"That's different from every day how, exactly?" Tony asked, hovering above them. "Guys, I see movement about 100 yards ahead of us. Stay sharp."

"Roger that," Clint said. Legolas merely spun his knives in his hands. They waited tensely as the sounds of movement became audible, moving closer to their position. "Don't shoot until we know what it is, but stay ready," Clint said. They moved forward to meet whatever was moving towards them. As they neared another clearing, a large object came into view. It looked as if a hole had been punched the fabric of reality. Around the edges was the forest they were stalking through. Inside the hole was a forest that was achingly, painfully familiar to Legolas and he gasped, stopping in his tracks. His companions halted as well. Inside the hole, the underbrush rustled and Legolas' hands tightened on his knives, Clint's on his bow. Three beings moved into their view through what could be nothing but an anomaly. Legolas' knives dropped out of his nerveless hands.

"Gimli? Ada!" He started to run towards the anomaly, which abruptly closed as he neared it. He gave a rage-filled shriek, falling to his knees where the anomaly had been, stunned. He whipped around to meet Clint's eyes. "Whoever is responsible for this, I want his blood!"

"We all do," Tony said, landing next to the elf and offering him a hand up. "Come on, I'll give you a lift back to the jet. Can't let the locals see you. Natasha will be reloaded and ready to go by now."

The elf nodded and allowed Iron Man to ferry him back to the quinjet.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Out of Space and Time ch6

Author: sheraiah

Rating: T (to be safe, there's some swearing)

Genre: Avengers/LOTR crossover

Summary: The Tesseract and the Bifrost aren't the only ways by which to travel between the worlds, and there are more worlds than Thor has spoken of. When one of the pathways goes awry, the Avengers are called in to clean up the resulting mess.

Disclaimer: If I owned any of it besides the plot, I wouldn't be slaving away in retail.

A/N: I scrapped and re-wrote this chapter six times before I got what I was happy with.

I want to state emphatically that this is not a romance fic, at least not an overt romance fic, other than the obvious Pepper/Tony and Thor/Jane bits. You might get a hint of Clint/Natasha if you squint and turn just right. There also will be just a very little bit of the start of a Steve/Darcy pairing, but that's it. Romance isn't what this one is about. There won't be any slash, either. This is set in my gen story arc. I might be persuaded to write a slash AU some day, but not right now.

Also, once again my personal headcanon comes into play for Legolas in this chapter. If you've read my 'Father and Son' story arc about Legolas and Thranduil, this will be nothing new. However, for those who this is the first of my stories that you have read, please be aware that my version of Legolas' childhood, etc. is somewhat A/U and should under no circumstances be taken for canon.

There is a nod in this chapter to my buddy lerouret and her amazing 'Pottymouth' series. Best LOTR modern day A/U I've ever read, folks. If you've not read it, it's worth the effort to track down. Her 'Green Knight' series is the awesome, too. Actually, anything she writes is amazing.

Ooo

The atmosphere in the quinjet was subdued as the team was flown to the Helicarrier for debriefing. Steve had regained consciousness shortly after the clean up team had given the all-clear and he was currently nursing a headache and nausea aggravated by the motion of the jet. Thor was also unusually solemn, spiders apparently not being among his favorite things, although he had actively participated in the mop up effort in spite of his aversion to the creatures.

Bruce had changed out of his tattered pants, wolfed down a couple of protein bars, drained two bottles of sports drink and checked on both Cap and Legolas before laying down on a stretcher and dropping into a deep sleep. Everyone else was relatively unscathed. Legolas, also uncharacteristically solemn, sat toward the back of the jet, ostensibly checking his arrows for damage. He spoke to no one for the duration of the flight.

Once they landed on the Helicarrier, and Steve was checked out by Medical and cleared to debrief before returning to the Tower to rest, they trooped into the conference room. Fury and Hill were waiting for them, and for once had a respectable array of snacks and beverages. Once everyone was settled, save for Legolas who remained standing where he could look out the bank of windows, the debrief began.

Ooo

"No civilian casualties," Nick Fury said, shuffling papers in front of him. The Avengers had all given their verbal account, and the debriefing was winding down. "Several law enforcement officers were stung, but they're all recovering. We got lucky." He glanced at the elf. "We're going to need as much intel as you can give us, Legolas, about the creatures we've seen so far and whatever else might come through an anomaly." The elf gave him a curt nod. "I'm told things would have been much worse without your assistance today."

"I gave my word that I would assist, in any way possible," Legolas said, his voice quiet. "Once given, my word is not broken."

"I'm also told," Fury stood and walked to the rail in front of the windows, near Legolas but patently giving him plenty of space, "that the anomaly was still open and that you chased the remainder of the spiders through it."

"It was," the elf confirmed, his expression impassive and his voice even. "And we chased the final three spiders back through it before it closed." He turned to look the Director in the face. "What is it that you truly wish to know? We can talk circles around each other as long as you wish, my people invented the art, but I much prefer to get to the point."

"All right, I want to know how compromised you are by seeing your home, and your father on the other side of that anomaly."

"Compromised? Perhaps less than you might expect." He cocked his head, his expression changing little. "Do I wish I had been able to cross through the anomaly and return home? Fervently. Will I allow my disappointment that it closed before I could do so to adversely and dangerously affect my concentration while fighting? No." His jaw firmed. "Do not forget that I have been a warrior for centuries. I have seen friends killed before me and have continued fighting." Fury eyed him for a long moment before nodding.

"Same conditions as before: you're under Captain Rogers' command." He glanced around the table. "Go get some downtime. Xavier's people or the Fantastic Four can handle anything that might crop in the next couple of days."

ooo

"How you holding up, Spangles?" Tony had suited up again for the trip back to the Tower, catching up with Steve as he headed to the jet.

"Still have a headache, but it's fading. I mostly just need a real meal now," the super soldier answered. "Tony, you didn't hold me back to ask me that."

"No, I didn't," Stark agreed. "I wanted to give you a heads up: things might get a little rowdy when we get back and I know you're the DSP but try not to break it up too early. I have an agenda to get through tonight."

"I hate to even ask."

"Designated Sober Person. My agenda is: getting the elf prince drunk tonight." Tony sighed, his expression turning from smirk to serious. "Cap, you weren't there. No one knows better than I do that it doesn't solve anything, but the least we can do is get him drunk enough to forget for a little while."

"All right."

"That was too easy. Who are you and what have you done with the stick up Cap's ass?" Steve gave him a scornful look.

"Tony, I was in the army. I lost friends in the war. Sometimes it helps that there's someone who cares enough to try to get you drunk after a tough mission." His eyes turned sad. "God knows I tried to after Bucky died." He looked away for a moment. "I'll ride herd on you lunatics and make sure no one goes dancing in the streets. Bruce can help if he feels up to it."

ooo

Thranduil scanned the trees around them warily. There was fresh spider sign everywhere, but no spiders. It was unlike the beasts to abandon so choice a hunting ground of their own accord. It was far enough from the more populated parts of the realm that his patrols would not have ventured here in some time, nor had the Beornings, apparently. Gimli and Luinloth flanked him, both as alert and battle ready as he was. The horses trailed nervously behind, bound only by the elves' requests. Twenty paces into the copse, Thranduil began to hear the unmistakable sound of spiders, but far fewer than he expected given the amount of webs around the copse.

"'Ware, I hear them."

"My axe drinks spider blood as readily as orc," Gimli replied, his attention fully focused on the trees around them. Luinloth made no reply, save for shifting his stance and his grip on his sword.

They pressed on, moving through the copse and into a clearing. At the far end of the clearing stood something neither elf for all their combined years had ever seen the like of: it appeared to be a hole in the forest through which a different forest could be seen. Although it was close to mid-day, on the other side of the hole the pale gray light of dawn wavered. Thranduil glanced at Luinloth, who shook his head.

"What is that?" Gimli asked, dividing his attention between the surrounding trees and the hole.

"I have no idea," Thranduil grated through his teeth.

"Nor I," Luinloth said, his stance shifting slightly to cover his king's right flank. "I have never seen the like, or heard of anything similar."

"From the sound of things, the spiders are on the other side of that thing." Thranduil's eyes narrowed. "We will remain here, and slaughter them if the pass back through." He glanced at Gimli. "I would not chance approaching that object until we know more of it."

"My lord, they are coming!" Luinloth reached into his tunic, drawing a previously hidden knife.

"I hear them," Thranduil replied tersely. The first spider emerged through the hole at a fast pace, clearly fleeing from something. Luinloth ducked quickly out of its path, slashing its belly as he moved, fatally wounding it. Thranduil closed with the second of the foul creatures to pass through, stabbing it in the belly before removing its head. Gimli neatly beheaded the third with a single powerful stroke of his axe, sidestepping the falling body with far more grace than most beings would have given him credit for having.

All three held their positions, waiting for more spiders. Through the hole, they could see movement but nothing else came through. As the dawn broke on the other side, Thranduil could make out several figures. One broke away from the others, running towards the hole. With a shock, he recognized Legolas, garbed as he had never before seen him, in solid black with an odd-looking bow and quiver on his back and equally odd knives in his hands. He saw the recognition and hope on Legolas' face as he ran. Abruptly, the hole vanished and Thranduil bit back a cry of frustration. Gimli showed no restraint in voicing his and Thranduil closed his eyes, stricken to the core to be so close to regaining his son and yet so very far. He drew a deep breath, steadying himself and opening his eyes. He had to keep moving; there was no other acceptable alternative. He would fail neither his son nor himself by doing otherwise.

"We will continue to Gondor. Legolas will make his way there first when he finds a way back. It will be easier to work on a solution from this end if we are all in one place," he said. He stooped to clean his sword on a patch of grass before wiping it with a scrap of cloth and sheathing it.

"Aye," Gimli said, controlling his voice and expression with difficulty. "He will, and we'd best be there to greet him or we'll never hear the end of it." He cleaned the spider ichor off his axe and turned to Thranduil. "At least we know he's well enough to be fighting."

"And that he appears to have allies, odd though they may be," Luinloth added in his quiet manner. He whistled and the horses came willingly to him. "Best we be on our way, my lord. We will have daylight for only so long and I would be well away from here by the time we no longer have it."

Thranduil nodded and took his mount's reins from Luinloth. Mounting swiftly, he reached down to lift Gimli into place behind him. As soon as Luinloth was in the saddle, they set as swift a pace as possible through the forest.

Ooo

"All right, everyone hit the showers and meet back here in 30!" Tony swiveled to look everyone in the eye in turn. "Food's on the way, Thai if anyone wanted to know, and I'll open the bar as soon as everyone's back. It was a hell of a day. We need to blow off some steam."

"I wish to greet Jane, and then I will return," Thor said, heading for the elevator. He took pride in doing as much 'the Midguardian way' as possible.

"Bring her, Point Break. We've got plenty of food coming, and you know I've always got enough alcohol. We can make it a joint 'It Was a Shitty Day' and 'Welcome to the Asylum, Jane' party." Tony grinned at Thor. "Her assistant, too, if she's here."

"Do you really want to traumatize her this early in, Tony?" Bruce said with a weary chuckle. Thor gave a belly laugh.

"Very little could traumatize Darcy, I assure you. When first we met, she felled me with her taser." He grinned widely at the memory.

"I know. That's part of the reason I offered her a job too. Anyone who has the balls to tase a demigod belongs in this loony bin," Tony said, smirking.

"What is 'tase'?" Legolas asked, speaking up for the first time since the Quinjet had left the Helicarrier.

"Remember when you accidentally touched the prongs on the tablet's charger while you were plugging it into the wall?" Tony asked. Legolas nodded, shuddering. It had not been a pleasant sensation. "Imagine it being used as a defensive weapon." The elf's eyebrows rose.

"I can see how that would be useful," he commented. "I shall rejoin you after I have removed the spider residue from my person." He nodded to them and headed for the stairwell. Since he had been pronounced well enough to return to his normal level of activity, he had begun eschewing the elevator for the stairs. Tony had been remarkably restrained on the subject, only very gently ribbing him about it.

"What about you, Spangles? Gonna make the rest of us look like slackers by taking the stairs?" Tony turned his smirk onto Steve, who snorted.

"No. I got stung by Charlotte on steroids; I'm taking the elevator today," Steve snarked back, the grin pulling at his lips only slightly spoiling the effect.

"Day-um, Cap! That was a good one," Clint drawled, grinning. Tony mimed removing a hat and bowed to Steve, who shook his head, laughing.

"JARVIS, save that; it's my new ring tone." Tony said as he headed for the elevator.

Ooo

Legolas appropriated a comfortable spot in a corner of the common area and opened the carton of red curry with shrimp that he had selected from the truly astounding amount of food that Tony had ordered. A very slight smile, the first since the battle, crossed his lips as he unwrapped his chopsticks. Tony, Bruce, Clint, Pepper, and Natasha all used them with ease. Steve was learning, but claimed that after a mission he was 'too hungry to fool with anything but a fork and spoon'. Legolas had picked up the knack of using them rather quickly and enjoyed doing so.

Deftly moving morsels of food from the carton to his mouth, he watched the action around him. Thus far, the others seemed to be willing to give him some space to process the day's events and to come to terms with them. He thought perhaps that was part of what Bruce had meant when he had said that it helped to be surrounded by people who knew what you had been through and how to react when you were having a bad day. This day certainly qualified as that for him. He firmly pushed the sadness and disappointment into the back of his mind, determined not to be a damper on the evening for everyone else.

Tony approached him, but instead of saying anything just handed him a bottle of one of the exotic types of ale he kept in stock. Legolas accepted it with a nod, knowing Tony well enough by now to know that it would perfectly compliment his meal. Thor rejoined the group just then, a petite, slender woman on his arm and a second, much curvier young woman trailing behind. He proudly introduced the lady on his arm as 'my lady, Dr. Jane Foster' and the other as 'Lady Darcy Lewis, she of the mighty taser'. Darcy laughed and lightly slugged his shoulder, making the demigod grin widely. They appeared to Legolas to have something of a brother/sister relationship and it made him smile slightly again.

The smile turned into a smirk as he observed Thor introducing the ladies to the team. Apparently, Darcy rather liked what she saw when introduced to Steve and vice versa if the super soldier's blush and stammer were anything to judge by. Legolas hid his grin in his carton of curry, remembering fondly a surprisingly similar situation with Gimli at the Yule celebration he had attended with the dwarf at Erebor. He wondered idly if he would have to give Steve a nudge in the proper direction as he had for Gimli. Perhaps not, there were others here who knew Steve far better than he did. It did seem to him that Steve was lonely, though, so perhaps this would be good for him.

"Friend Legolas! This my lady, Dr. Jane Foster and Lady Darcy. Jane, Darcy, this is Legolas, an elf of Arda." Thor drew the ladies over to Legolas' corner. The elf quickly set aside his food and rose, bowing to the newcomers.

"I am honored to make your acquaintance," he said through his translator. "Thor has spoken often and highly of both of you."

"Wait, hold up. Arda? And Legolas? Are you serious, Thor?" Darcy asked, a look of mixed disbelief and delight on her face. "Seriously? THE Legolas?"

"To be fair, Darce, there were two elves named Legolas," Jane corrected. "You're Legolas of Mirkwood, yes?" she asked, turning back to the elf.

"It is the Wood of Green Leaves now, but yes that is correct," he replied, hiding his amusement. Darcy gave the petite astrophysicist an arch look over the top of her glasses.

"Just because I never read the Silmarillion," she groused good-naturedly.

"Slacker," Jane retorted, grinning. "I'm glad to meet you, Legolas. I'd like to talk to you later, if that's okay? I have questions I'd like to ask. Tony and Bruce asked for my input on the anomalies."

"I will be at your disposal, my lady. You have only to state when you wish to speak."

"Oh, tomorrow sometime will be soon enough. I've been banned from the lab until at least then," she grinned up at Thor, taking any sting there might have been in her words away with the expression on her face when she looked at the Asgardian.

"Just so," the thunder god agreed, raising Jane's hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles. "Tonight I wish to enjoy your company along with the company of my fellow warriors. You honor me by indulging me."

"Okay, I'm drowning in the shmoopy," Darcy said, smirking and giving Thor a friendly shove. "Go make Stark sick with your mushiness." Thor chuckled, drawing Jane towards the bar.

"Okay, so, would you mind if I sat here and talked with you for awhile?" the young woman, really not much more than a girl, asked, fidgeting slightly. "I mean, I really do want to talk to you, but it's just that I'm kind of the odd one out, you know? And holy crap, the Avengers, you know?" Legolas grinned.

"Tony falls asleep standing up and cannot even speak until he has had at least three cups of coffee. Bruce steals Steve's orange juice out of the refrigerator on a daily basis. Natasha steals Thor's chocolate Pop tarts. Clint travels through the air ducts and shoots toy arrows at all of us. Steve watches 'My Little Pony'," he said, pitching his voice and adjusting the volume on the translator so that only she would hear him. She giggled. "They are flawed, eccentric beings just as we are." He shrugged. "I like Miss Piggy and Kermit."

"Rizzo is my favorite," she offered.

"I think Gimli would agree with you, were he ever to watch the Muppets." He gestured to the chair next to his and she sat down. "Have you had your meal yet?"

"Not since lunch. I've been too nervous to eat."

"What do you prefer? I would be happy to bring it to you as I am still standing."

"Um, pad thai would be great. Or red curry, if there's any left. You don't have to, I can do it."

"No, remain in your seat. I will see to it." He found her another carton of the curry and both chopsticks and a fork. "The curry has shrimp, is this acceptable?" he asked, handing her the utensils first.

"Oooh, yes, yum!" Darcy accepted the carton from his hand with such enthusiasm that he chuckled.

"Refills, kiddies!" Tony swept up with another ale for Legolas, handing it to him before turning his attention to Darcy. "What's your poison, Lewis?"

"Surprise me," she replied, smirking at him. His eyebrows rose.

"Can't decide if that's brave or stupid. One 'Surprise Me' cocktail coming right up!" He darted back to the bar. Darcy looked at Legolas and shrugged.

"Stark doesn't scare me. He's a lot like the uber-brainy geeks I went to school with, just older and richer." She opened the carton and unwrapped her chopsticks, wielding them like an expert. "Plus, I've been Jane's intern, now paid research assistant for awhile now. Brainy, eccentric, and distracted I can deal with."

"Then what is it that you are nervous about?"

"Honestly? I know it's stupid, I mean Thor likes all of them and I trust him, but come on! Captain America is a living legend, Black Widow is a scary spy and assassin and she and Hawkeye are S.H.I.E.L.D. and don't get me started on THEM, and well, Dr. Banner seems like a really nice guy but his dark side is pretty scary." She huffed a sigh and shrugged. "I KNOW they're the good guys. I guess it's just a bit much."

"Bruce is very nice. He has been very good to me," Legolas said, speaking slowly and considering his words with care. "The 'Big Guy' as the others call him, I found not to be frightening at all, but we were fighting on the same side. He seemed well able to recognize that fact." He shrugged. "Natasha is a deadly fighter, but she knows well which side she is on. So long as you do not eat all of her flatbread crackers and the cheese she prefers, I deem that you have little to fear from her. Clint is a prankster. The best manner to deal with him is to play along. He likes having an accomplice, I think. As for Steve, he is a Man of much honor and integrity, but he is even more out of place here than you could ever be. He is very kind, but there is a sadness that hangs above him like the very clouds at times. I think he has lost much." He looked back at her. "They are merely people, young one." He saw her start to bridle at that, but she paused after a moment, considering.

"I suppose it's kind of like traveling with four hobbits, a dwarf, two men and a wizard, isn't it?" she asked, a hint of a cheeky grin on her face. He laughed, nodding.

"I am finding it to be remarkably so."

Ooo

"Oh, you've got to watch 'Dark Crystal'! If you like the Muppets, and you liked 'Labyrinth', then you'd like it. Actually, I can think of a bunch of movies you probably haven't seen that you'd like."

Food had been consumed, dessert had been demolished, and the drinks were still flowing. Bruce had joined Legolas and Darcy, who had quickly overcome any apprehension she had about being in his presence due to his dry sense of humor and the fact that he, like Legolas, appeared to have taken her under his wing.

"Ladyhawke. I vote for Ladyhawke. I always liked that one," Bruce said. "And 'Excalibur'."

"Never would have figured you for the 'sword and sorcery' type, Bruce," Darcy commented, stealing a swig of Legolas' ale, much to the elf's amusement.

"Hey, I played D&D in college!" Banner protested, half-smiling. She grinned at him, winking and he laughed.

"Hey, question, Legolas: what do elves do when they're teenagers and young adults that make the older elves shake their heads and bemoan the state of youth these days?" Darcy asked, taking another healthy swig of ale. The elf grinned.

"We play pranks on each other, do incredibly stupid things like daring each other to jump between treetops and off waterfalls and drink far too much wine or dwarven brandy," he replied grinning impishly. "And before you even ask, I am still considered quite young and would fall well within that category. However, Gimli is far more apt to take me to task for such things than my father is."

"Some things don't change much from culture to culture or generation to generation," Bruce commented, glancing at Steve, who was evidently trying to decide whether to or not to join the conversation. "Right, Steve?"

"Yeah, I got into my fair share of scrapes, no question. Got beat up a lot too. Couldn't keep my mouth shut or back down if I knew I was right," the super soldier said, taking a seat next to Bruce. "If my best pal, Bucky, wasn't getting me into trouble he was getting me out of it."

"Elladan and Elrohir did so for me," Legolas commented. "And still do, to an extent." He shrugged. "We are cousins, somewhat distantly, but our fathers have been friends for millenia. I spent much time with them as a child." He grinned, just a touch maliciously. "And I repaid them by teaching Aragorn everything they taught me and aiding him against them."

"So you did know him prior to the War of the Ring? I always wondered about that," Darcy mused. "How old was he when you met?"

"Five or six years, I believe. He was a very endearing child," Legolas wore a fond smile, remembering his friend before the cares of adulthood and his birthright had fallen upon him. Tony wandered up at that point, breaking the mood and handing Legolas a glass of something that smelled sweet.

"Time to change it up a little," the billionaire stated with a smirk. "I know you're good with wine and ale, so let's try something different."

"What is this?" Legolas asked, sniffing the drink curiously.

"Try it and I'll tell you," the billionaire countered, a hint of challenge in his tone. Legolas arched a brow at him but took a cautious sip. His other eyebrow joined the first and he took a larger sip.

"It is very good," he said, taking another drink.

"It's called a 'Painkiller'. Tastes like candy but will kick your ass if you aren't careful," Tony said with a grin. "You've got about as big a sweet tooth as Capsicle does, I figured you'd like it. Want one, Cap?"

"Sure. It's not like it'll kick MY butt," Steve said. "What's in it?"

"Rum, cream of coconut, pineapple juice, orange juice and nutmeg. You have to use good rum, though, or it'll taste like shit." Tony walked back to the bar and poured a second glass from the pitcher he had mixed the drink in. "Any other takers?" The replies were negative and he shrugged, returning with the pitcher in hand.

"Tony, are you trying to get me drunk?" Legolas asked, his tone both amused and faintly annoyed.

"Maybe," the genius replied with a smirk before becoming serious. "It's optional, Bow Twanger. I won't take it personally if you decline."

"Bow Twanger?"

"I'm test driving it. No? Well, I'll come up with something, give me time." He refilled the elf's glass. "'Elf-boy' just doesn't work for me."

ooo

Legolas sighed, wandering into the kitchen of the common area and rummaging in the refrigerator for a long moment before coming up with some cold fried chicken and a bottle of cranberry juice. He was a tad bit hungry, but more sad, angry and restless. 'I should have taken Tony up on his offer to get me drunk. At least I would be sleeping it off now rather than up and brooding in the wee hours of the morning.' He sighed, too melancholy even to be disgusted with himself, and retreated to his usual perch on the back of the couch. He stared out over the city, nibbling listlessly on the chicken. He heard the faint sound of movement at the entrance to the kitchen area, but know that it was one of the team, he did not react.

"It's hard, being so close but not being able to reach them." Steve commented, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch. "Tony told me what happened. For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Legolas nodded.

"Thank you." He sighed, setting the half-eaten piece of chicken on the plate in his lap and taking a sip of the juice. "One good thing that came of this is that Ada and Gimli saw me and know that I am well enough to be fighting. That is some consolation to me at least." He looked up, meeting Steve's gaze. "I have not lost hope. I have faith that Tony and Bruce, and now Dr. Foster as well, will continue working on this until they reach a solution. I only wish I was able to do something. I do not like feeling helpless."

"You aren't," the super soldier stated bluntly. "You're helping us fight the things that come through the anomalies and you're providing the Brains with as much information as you can so they can do their part of it." He grinned faintly. "And you're giving Bruce something to focus on besides his own problems and giving Clint someone to shoot with. Believe me, that helps a lot." He chuckled suddenly. "The only other thing I can think of that you could do is play tag with him and Natasha in the air vents and keep them out of Tony's and Bruce's hair while they work. Clint and Nat are a pain in the neck when they're bored." Legolas chuckled faintly.

"I can do that. I will mention my sudden fascination with air vents when I see Clint later today," the elf said dryly.

"I thank you and Team Science thanks you," Steve said with a laugh. "It's not their fault that they're bored; they're just too recognizable now to do covert work any more and they aren't used to having that much downtime. I get it, I really do. I wasn't used to it either." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "People forget that what was 70 years to them was an eye blink to me. The war I fought in was last year, not 71 years ago by my perception. I'll probably never totally adjust to that."

"Believe it or not, I rather know what you mean. Time passes differently for elves than it does for the other races. We can get wrapped up in something that interests us and when we notice the world again, a century has passed. That is not a problem for most of my people, as they tend to limit their contact with the other races, but for those of us who interact regularly with Men, dwarves and hobbits it is devastating." He looked at Steve again, a wealth of sadness in his eyes. "I would not change the road I have traveled, and I believe I am better for the friends I have made, but I will pay a high price for it in the end. Other than Gandalf, I will be the last of the Fellowship one day and that day will arrive far sooner than I would ever wish."

"And that's why this is so much harder for you: you're missing time that you could be spending with them while you're stuck here." Steve grimaced in sympathy.

"Exactly." He gave the super soldier a rueful smile. "And now I have gained another set of friends that I will miss terribly but who I would not have wished to have gone without meeting."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Out of Space and Time ch7

Author: sheraiah

Rating: T (to be safe, there's some swearing)

Genre: Avengers/LOTR crossover

Summary: The Tesseract and the Bifrost aren't the only ways by which to travel between the worlds, and there are more worlds than Thor has spoken of. When one of the pathways goes awry, the Avengers are called in to clean up the resulting mess.

Disclaimer: If I owned any of it besides the plot, I wouldn't be slaving away in retail.

A/N: Just a short one this time. FYI, this is where it really starts getting interesting.

Ooo

Odin Allfather stood silently, waiting patiently next to Heimdall for their guest to make his appearance via the Bifrost. Neither Aesir was certain what to expect, but an observer would never have known that by looking at their equally impassive faces. The air shimmered before them and a figure appeared, an old man white haired and bearded and wearing robes and cloak of pristine white.

"Greetings, Odin Allfather. I am Olorin. I have been charged with the task of answering your questions. How is it that we may assist you?"

"Greetings, Olorin. I believe we may help each other in this. It seems that one of your charges has gone astray."

"This is not unknown to us, however the time has not yet come for him to return. There are tasks that must yet be completed. Even so, I have been instructed to ask your aid when the time does come for young Legolas to return home." The being gave the Aesir king an enigmatic smile. "Although, knowing that young elf as I do, this will be no simple thing. Legolas Thranduilion attracts trouble even as flames attract moths." Odin sighed and returned the smile with a knowing one of his own.

"My son is currently with him and has a similar predilection. I fear for the universe." Olorin chuckled. "Come, let us go to my halls and discuss the matter further over a hearty meal and flagons of mead."

ooo

Steve sat at the center island of the common kitchen, Legolas perched on the stool next to his, waiting for the rest of the residents of the Tower to trickle in. He and Legolas had a bet going as to who would be the last one in: Steve betting on Tony and Legolas betting on Clint. The two of them sipped their coffee, Legolas had finally given in and tried it after Natasha made him a cup the way she thought he would prefer it a few days before. He was now hooked, by his own admission.

The two of them had brewed large amounts of coffee, lining everyone's preferred mugs up along the counter and setting the various additives that everyone preferred out in anticipation of their necessity. Steve had also fried an astonishing amount of bacon, which was currently being kept warm in one of the large pans with the heater under it, as were the scrambled eggs, hash browns, and french toast that the super soldier had also prepared.

Legolas was currently tucking into a plate of the french toast, alternating bites of it with bites of bacon dipped in the maple syrup pooled on his plate. He looked to Steve to be far more at ease than he had been earlier, which in turn eased the super solder's mind quite a bit. Perhaps the key was to keep him occupied.

Bruce ambled in, arching an eyebrow at the provisions and shaking his head with a chuckle as he fixed his tea. He grabbed a plate and filled it before sitting down beside Legolas.

"It looks like iHop after pledge night in a college town in here," he commented. "Never mind." he said, catching the confused looks he got from his companions. "We'll have to watch 'Animal House' some time so I can explain that one."

"I'll take your word for that," Steve commented dryly. "Legolas and I have a bet going, want in?"

"What's the bet and what are the stakes?"

"Last one in and kitchen clean up for the next two weeks." Steve was grinning. Bruce pondered for a moment.

"Yes and Thor."

"Done," Steve said, still grinning.

"Done." Legolas' grin was hidden by his coffee mug, but his eyes were merry. "Now all we must do is wait." The elevator dinged and Clint walked in, sunglasses on and rubbing his temples, and headed straight for the coffee. "Damn it," the elf said with a sigh. Steve turned to look at him with raised eyebrows.

"Tony and Clint are a bad influence," the super soldier said, the corner of his mouth twitching. Bruce cleared his throat, looking sheepish.

"Actually, I think that was me," he said, ducking his head and turning his attention onto his food. Clint snickered into his coffee. Legolas just gave all three of them an 'Oh please!' look.

"I would say that I could teach Tony and Clint quite a bit when it comes to profanity," the elf said mildly, popping another bit of bacon into his mouth.

"Challenge accepted, Elf-boy," Barton said, grabbing a plate and stacking bacon slices on it. "But if you really want to torque Tony's cork, teach Steve to swear in Elvish." The elf's smirk morphed into a decidedly evil grin.

"Challenge accepted," he said. "After we find out who won the bet."

"Done," Clint said. "You're betting on who'll be the last one in, aren't you? Assholes." He was smirking, however. "My money'd be on Thor, since Jane's here."

"Exactly," Bruce said, smugly.

"We'll see," Steve said, rising to refill his coffee mug. "Good morning, Tasha," he greeted the assassin as she entered the room. He filled her mug, adding the creamer she favored and handed it to her.

"Thank you," she said quietly, sitting down next to Bruce. After a couple of sips, she looked over the top of her sunglasses at the breakfast spread. "I'd say that was an obscene amount of food, but there probably won't be any leftovers."

"What would you like," Steve asked, picking up a plate. Natasha gave him a measured look before replying.

"Toast and a couple of pieces of bacon." She took another sip of her coffee. "Thank you." Steve just smiled, setting the plate with the requested items in front of her before reloading his plate and sitting back down.

"I think I'm jealous," Clint said. "Teacher's pet." Natasha merely raised her left hand, extending her middle finger before picking up her toast. "Nice! I'm deeply hurt, Tasha."

"You will be," she said quietly.

"Barton, you've got a death wish," Tony said, entering the kitchen area with Pepper just behind him. "Even I'm not crazy enough to mess with her when she's hung over. And by the way, why aren't you?"

"Well, darn it," Steve said, sighing. Bruce chuckled into his tea mug.

"I was drinking as much water last night as I was alcohol," Clint replied, finishing his bacon and forking french toast onto his plate. "Best thing for staving off a hangover. That, and aspirin and a hot shower."

"Hmm, overrated." Tony placed a couple of slices of the french toast and two pieces of bacon on a plate, pouring a small amount of syrup on the toast before passing the plate to Pepper. He poured coffee for both of them, handing Pepper's to her before heaping french toast on his own plate. "Brucie won the bet, I take it. Serves you right for betting against a genius, Capsicle." Legolas leaned over and said something in Steve's ear. The super soldier grinned briefly before getting up and putting his dishes in the sink and heading towards the elevators.

"Mitho orch, Tony."

The billionaire blinked, eyes going wide. "Did he really just tell me to go kiss an orc?"

ooo

Bruce chuckled, listening to Legolas patiently correct Steve's pronunciation. The they had been giving each other language lessons, Steve tutoring Legolas in English and the elf teaching the super soldier and the scientist Sindarin and, Bruce suspected, he had also been teaching Steve a smattering of several other languages. Most people, those who did not know Steve well, tended to believe that he never swore. The Team all knew better. True, he never did it gratuitously but in times of stress or anger, he did let fly with the occasional curse. As for the elf, Pepper had said it best: he might look as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth but the reality was that he had a very puckish sense of humor and took an unholy delight in shocking people. Bruce was fairly certain their most recent S.H.I.E.L.D. handler would never fully recover, but really, he had brought it on himself by talking down not only to the elf but Steve as well. Legolas might have let it slide if it had been just him.

Legolas and Steve both had eidetic memories, which sped up their learning process at a startling rate. Legolas rarely needed his translator any longer, although he continued to use it when on the Helicarrier out of sheer perversity, and Steve was competent to hold a conversation in Elvish. The two of them had taken to spending their mornings before the rest of the Tower's occupants rose for the day in the kitchen conversing in both tongues. Steve had a knack for languages, Bruce knew, and was at least able to make himself understood in German, French, and Russian. As for the elf, he had once told Bruce that he spoke five languages with varying levels of competency, six if one factored in English. Bruce had picked up quite a bit of Elvish and while he was not quite to the level that Steve was, he could usually follow what Legolas said and manage to reply.

In the almost four months since they had glimpsed his father and his dwarven shield brother through the anomaly, Legolas had resolutely kept himself busy to stave off his homesickness. When any of them noticed his usually sunny nature faltering, they came up with distractions. Clint would challenge him on the archery range, Natasha would request his aid with a multitude of projects, Tony would come up with a new gadget he needed to test or a movie the elf hadn't seen, Steve would need another language lesson, etc. As for Bruce, he and to a lesser extent Steve, were Legolas' sounding boards and confidants.

"What are you up to this afternoon, Legolas?" Bruce asked as soon as it looked like the language lesson was winding down.

"Natasha and I are ganging up on Clint in the air ducts," he replied, grinning.

"Two against one isn't fair," Steve said, chuckling.

"Neither is short sheeting my bed and putting dye in my shampoo," the elf retorted, unconcerned. "I believe the phrase is 'payback is a bitch'."

"And why exactly did he short sheet you and pull the trick with the dye?" Bruce asked, amused. Legolas huffed.

"I do not see why he was upset. All I did was switch his coke with Pepper's diet soda. And help Natasha steal all his clothing while he was showering." He shrugged. "He really had no reason at all." The two assassins had quickly found out that Legolas was the only one who could sneak up on either of them and they both used his skills against each other. He was also, much to Tony's chagrin, very adept at avoiding the Tower's surveillance system. Clint and Natasha had been quick to exploit that as well.

"Don't forget the thing with the whoopee cushion and thing with the acid," Steve said, barely containing his laughter. Tony had enlisted Legolas' help in putting a mild acid in Clint's chair one evening at dinner. While it had not been strong enough to harm his skin, his clothing had been melted and the result had been, as Tony gleefully put it: em-bare ass-ing.

"You're all frightening when you're bored," Bruce said, shaking his head. Steve and Legolas just laughed.

Ooo

The anomalies had tapered off a bit over the prior four weeks, only three and only a handful of orcs at each, easily handled by regular S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel. The Avengers had other crises to deal with, as Tony termed it 'Evil Idiot of the Week' or terrorist threats, but even those had calmed.

The Team went about their routines in downtime, Steve with his daily runs, workouts, and charity work; Tony with is manic, marathon lab sessions and spending as much time with Pepper as their schedules permitted; Bruce alternating between working on the anomaly issue, reversing his own issues, and medical research that he did as part of a humanitarian effort he belonged to; Clint and Natasha splitting their days between S.H.I.E.L.D. offices and the Tower, chasing each other and Legolas through the air ducts, and disappearing randomly to go to restaurants around the city; and Thor either sparring with the team, sightseeing with Darcy, and spending time with Jane as often as he and Darcy could pry her out of her lab.

Legolas alternated between language lessons, giving in after tweaking Tony mercilessly and finally fine-tuning the genius' command of Sindarin as well as adding conversational Westron, playing air duct tag with Clint and Natasha, language lessons and conversations with Bruce and Steve, and movies with Thor, Darcy, and anyone else who happened to be present. Tony had, on occasion to keep the elf from getting cabin fever too badly, either rented out restaurants and other venues throughout the city or used his private jet to fly the elf and usually Bruce and Steve if not the rest of the Team to places like Yellowstone and other locations so the elf could 'commune with the trees'. None of them wished to see him adversely affected from being cooped up in the Tower for long periods of time.

The call to assemble, Legolas included, therefore almost came as a shock.

Ooo

"Sit rep, Tasha?' Steve asked as soon as the Quinjet was in the air.

"There's definitely an anomaly, but we don't have any reports of anything coming through as of yet," she replied, scanning her tablet. "Apparently the Council feels that we're the only ones qualified to deal with the anomalies, partly due to Legolas' presence, I'm sure. Hence, we get deployed even when there's no evidence of incursion."

"Fury's humoring them. It keeps them from scrutinizing us too closely," Steve stated, lip curling in disgust. Fury wasn't terribly forthcoming, even in the best of times, but he'd still rather deal with him than the council. "If anything goes pear shaped while we're gone, Richards et all or Xavier's people have agreed to take it on. They don't want the Council in their business any more than we do, so they're willing to play along. If this is like most of the rest of the events, the anomaly will have disappeared by the time we get there. If not, we wait until it does." He turned to look at Legolas. "If it's still open, and it's in an area you recognize and it looks safe to, go through before it closes." He smiled tightly. "I'll deal with Fury and the Council." Legolas nodded but remained silent.

The Quinjet landed uneventfully in the Georgia countryside, the anomaly visible in the middle of a peach orchard. They took the report from the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who had first responded and then set about examining the perimeter for evidence of incursions. Nothing turned up, and they all congregated back in front of the anomaly. The waiting game had begun.

Ooo

Thor paced back and forth in front of the anomaly, idly twirling Mjolnir. Clint and Natasha had produced a deck of cards from who knew where and were cheating each other at poker. Steve merely sat still, attention focused on the hole in reality. Bruce, Tony and Legolas conversed quietly, analyzing the readings Tony was getting via his suit and discussing the advisability of Legolas traveling through the anomaly. He thought the terrain looked like the Southern part of Rohan, but there was no certainty of it. So things remained for the better part of two hours until Thor walked over and sat down beside Clint.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light and a pulling sensation and then all of them were falling, tumbling into one another. Then with a jolt, they landed onto grassy soil. Tony, insulated in his suit, was the first to stand and take stock of things. He turned in a circle, surveying the landscape, before ending where the anomaly had been. Flipping his face plate up, he stared at the unfamiliar landscape.

"Oh, SHIT!"

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Out of Space and Time ch8

Author: sheraiah

Rating: T (to be safe, there's some swearing)

Genre: Avengers/LOTR crossover

Summary: The Tesseract and the Bifrost aren't the only ways by which to travel between the worlds, and there are more worlds than Thor has spoken of. When one of the pathways goes awry, the Avengers are called in to clean up the resulting mess.

Disclaimer: If I owned any of it besides the plot, I wouldn't be slaving away in retail.

A/N: I know, I totally suck for leaving you hanging. Hopefully this chapter will make up for it.

Ooo

"Is everyone okay?" Steve asked, rolling onto his back and sitting up. He looked around, no sign of the Quinjet or the S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel that had preceded them to the sight of the anomaly, nor of the anomaly itself. He blinked, his gut clenching as he realized that he did not recognize the terrain. "Tony?"

"I'm fine, Spangles, but we definitely aren't in Kansas any more," the billionaire said. "No satellite link, no communications. I have JARVIS in limited capacity in the suit, but that's it." He sighed. "Kind of glad I'm sporting the briefcase version of the suit today."

"Tasha?"

"I'm fine, Cap. A little bruised, but nothing serious." She rolled to her feet, offering Clint a hand up. The archer took it and he stood as well.

"I'm good, Steve," he said quickly.

"Bruce?"

"I'm okay, I think. The Other Guy doesn't much like this, but he's not pushing it." Banner rose to his knees, looking around.

"I am well also, Captain," Thor said, rolling onto his stomach and getting his feet under himself to stand. "I do not recognize this place."

"I do," Legolas said quietly. "We are in Rohan. I have seen that rock formation," he pointed to their left, "on each of my travels through this land. We are three days ride from Edoras." Steve stood, taking a deep breath.

"Okay, you know the land and the customs so we'll follow your lead." He looked at Tony. "Stark, I think you ought to take the suit off for the time being. You can suit up relatively quickly if you need to, but the suit might scare the locals more than the protection would be worth."

"Yeah, you might be right about that, okay." Tony collapsed the suit off his body into its briefcase form. "Well, this day sucks so far."

"My friends, I am sorry," Legolas began, but Steve cut him off quickly.

"No, you didn't do this. No apologies. You're home, no feeling guilty about being glad of that." He looked at the others. "We'll figure out a way to get back. In the meantime, what's our best option?"

"Edoras, and then on to Minas Tirith from there. At the very least, we owe Eomer the respect of requesting his permission to travel in his lands. And, knowing him, he will offer us his aid in reaching Minas Tirith." Legolas cast his eyes to the sky. "It is close to mid-morning. We will need to travel with as much haste as we are able. Water is our most pressing need at the moment, and there is a stream several leagues away in that direction." He pointed past the rock formation he had indicated earlier. "Once there we can make camp and discuss our next course of action." He checked his bow quickly for damage and nodded when he found it to be whole. "I will forage and hunt while we travel. If my memory serves, rabbits and birds are plentiful here and I can always find roots and other things to supplement anything I manage to shoot."

ooo

The rabbits Legolas had brought down and cleaned sizzled over the fire he had built as soon as they reached the stream. In addition to the rabbits, he had shown Thor and Steve where to dig for tubers to bury in the ashes as a supplement to the meat. They had buried double the amount they needed, so that there would be something to eat in the morning. Legolas also gathered cress from the stream and he found and raided a turtle's nest, adding eggs to the menu. These he also placed in the ashes to cook.

"They can, at need, be eaten raw but I prefer them cooked," he explained.

"I'm just grateful that it isn't grubs," Bruce said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Rabbit and the Arda equivalent of potatoes, I can live with."

"I would not say that these roots are similar to potatoes," Legolas said, turning the rabbits on their spits. "The flavor is somewhat sharper. But, they will fill our bellies." He glanced at the sky. "Bruce, if you will turn these again when this side starts to brown, I will do a bit of scouting before the sun sets. Perhaps I will also find something else for our meal."

"I can do that," Bruce said as he moved closer to the fire.

"Stay aware, there are bandits and sometimes orcs who roam these lands and manage to evade the Rohirrim. I will not go far, I merely wish to see if I can spot a patrol." With that, he hefted his bow and ran lightly across the grass. Banner sighed, giving the meat a poke with a stick before sitting back. He glanced at Steve, a half smile forming on his lips.

"Do you think he realizes that I know what he's up to, giving me responsibility for the food?" he asked quietly.

"Probably," the super soldier answered. "He doesn't miss much, and you do fair better when you've got something to distract you." He stood up, stretching. "The part with 'The Three Hunters' was my favorite part of the books. When I read it, I wanted to travel with them."

"You know, worried girlfriends and S.H.I.E.L.D. et all at home aside, this is an incredible opportunity," Tony pointed out, examining an oddly shaped rock minutely. "I mean, it royally sucks that we ended up here, but until we can figure out how to get home, why not make the most of it?"

"It's going to be interesting, I'll give you that, Tony," Bruce said. "Since you're not so much of a closet Tolkien geek these days, fess up: who are you going to fanboy?"

"I'm not going to 'fanboy' anyone. I don't fanboy." Tony aimed a slight scowl at Banner. "I do want to meet King Thranduil, though. I always thought he was the best of the elf lords. No ring of power and he still holds out against Dol Goldur for centuries. That, my friends, is the definition of bad ass."

"Not to mention having better than average parenting skills as evidenced by Legolas," Bruce said.

"That too," Stark agreed, setting the rock down and picking up another. "By the time Legolas was born, things were starting to go to hell again and the guy still manages to be a good dad."

"So that's why you flame Bad!Thranduil fics on the internet," Clint said, snickering.

"I don't flame them, I merely point out the inaccuracy of their portrayal of his character," Tony retorted. "And I'm polite about it. Only douche bags flame." He smirked at the archer. "Okay, Junior Birdman, I know you've read the books. Who do you want to meet?"

"Already have," Clint replied, grinning.

"Figures," Stark snorted. "What about you, Capsicle?"

"Probably Aragorn and Gimli. Like I said, the Three Hunters were my favorites."

"Fair enough. What about you, Brucie?" Banner rolled his eyes at the nickname.

"Elrond, but Legolas said he's already sailed, so I'm out of luck." He turned the rabbits. "This isn't going to be fun and games, Tony. We're way out of our comfort zone here, what little we know may not help us much."

"We need information," Clint said. "We've all talked with Legolas a lot, but mostly about his culture, not Rohan or Gondor. We need to know what to expect and what to avoid."

"There's the problem of me as well," Natasha said. "Legolas is pretty even handed when it comes to gender roles, but I'd be willing to be that it's either particular to elves in general or the culture he was raised in specifically. That's not likely to be the case everywhere and that could be trouble with a capital T."

"Language will also be an issue," Thor opined, joining the conversation for the first time. "I have the Allspeak in my favor, but of the rest of us, there are none who have more than a partial knowledge of any of the languages here. Many problems can arise out of lack of ability to communicate, some quite serious." He paused to look each of them in the eyes. "Our cultures are different, our attitudes are different, our attire is vastly different. Such things can create fear, and fear can and does cause beings to react violently. We must be cautious."

"Thor's right," Steve sighed. "We need to ask Legolas about that when he gets back. We need to be as fore-warned as possible." He rubbed his temples. "If Legolas leaves anything of the jerk responsible for all this, I want a piece of him, too."

"Sign me up for that," Clint said, examining one of his arrows for damage.

"I want to see Thor hammer his sorry ass into the ground up to his eyeballs with Mjolnir," Tony said, eyes dark with banked fury. "Pretty please, Thor, with Pop Tarts on top."

"No Pop Tarts will be necessary, my friend," Thor growled. "I would do so merely to keep any other soul from experiencing what Legolas has endured and what we are now enduring." His expression shifted to one of mixed sorrow and worry. "And what those we love are enduring in our absence. I would do so for that reason most of all."

"Only after Cap shield-slams him a couple of dozen times," Clint said. "And after Tasha hits him with the Widow's bite and I turn his ass into a pincushion."

"Stop getting me excited, Cupid. You know I love it when you talk dirty," Tony deadpanned, breaking the tension.

Ooo

Legolas returned just before the light faded completely. He had found more roots and some berries to add to their provisions. He pronounced the rabbits done and portioned them out.

"You know, for not having anything like seasonings on it, this really isn't half bad," Tony commented, laying the last of the bones from his portion of rabbit aside and picking up the baked root. He broke it open and started scooping the soft insides of it into his mouth. He wrinkled his nose slightly, but finished it anyway. "The root tastes weird, but not enough that I'd turn it down." The elf chuckled.

"I am not so skilled at cooking as Sam, Gimli, or Aragorn but I can promise that you will not starve whilst I am with you. And really, Tony, if you like the rabbit wait until you have fish cooked this way." He sighed, sitting back and wrapping his arms around his knees. "My friends, we have much to discuss. The Rohirrim are good people, but their culture is vastly different from yours. I would minimize any misunderstandings that we can."

"Agreed. I think our best bet is for you to do the talking," Tony said, earning him a startled look from the others. "What? Pepper and I pull that all the time with the stockholders. She talks, and I pretend to be hung over."

"But instead are observing every reaction to your lady's words," the elf said nodding. "Adar and I have used that ploy often. Simply because I make no pretense at being qualified to rule does not mean that I do not know how to play politics."

"Did you see any signs of the patrol you were looking for?" Steve asked.

"No, which is likely to mean that they are en route to this part of their territory. The Marshall in charge of the Eored here is not one I know well at all. I hope to meet him while I am scouting to give me time to explain all of you."

"That would be best," Steve agreed, neatly laying the last of his rabbit bones, picked clean, on top of Tony's.

Ooo

Legolas perched atop the rock at the West side of their camp. He had insisted on performing sentry duty to allow the Avengers to sleep. In truth, he needed the space to think. He was more than relieved to be back home, but his heart bled for his new friends who were now in the exact predicament he had been in. 'I think Tony's idea is sound: Thor should pound the miscreant responsible into the ground up to his eyes with Mjolnir.' He sighed silently, casting his eyes over the silent camp. Steve was curled up, resting on his side with his head on his arm. Thor was stretched out, apparently not at all bothered by sleeping on the ground. Clint and Natasha were curled up together, her head resting on his arm as he lay behind her. Bruce and Tony lay opposite each other, their heads almost touching. They had fallen asleep mid-conversation.

He was grateful that they were able to sleep. The march would be hard, even on such fit individuals as the Avengers. He worried that even his formidable skills in hunting and foraging would not be enough to keep pace with the amount of food he knew Steve, Thor and Bruce required. He also worried about Bruce and Tony. Both Men were in good physical shape, they sparred with the rest of their team on a regular basis and Bruce practiced two disciplines called 'yoga' and 'tai chi' which lent themselves towards increased strength and endurance while Tony frequently forged metal by hand and sparred with his driver, Happy, in addition to the sparring he did with Clint, Natasha, and Steve. But such things were not forced marches over rough terrain for weeks on end and on fewer rations than usual. He hoped that none of them took ill or were injured.

He stood, making no noise, and surveyed the terrain around them. The night was waning, and had thankfully been peaceful. His keen ears picked up the sound of horses but he determined quickly that the horses were unshod. He dismissed the horses themselves, listening for what might have cause them to be on the move in the pre-dawn hours. His expression tightened when his ears picked up the unmistakable sound of a warg's growl. He leapt down from the rock startling Steve, Natasha, and Clint awake.

"Awake! I hear at least one warg approaching and there may be more. Tony," he said to the billionaire who was sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "suit up, you will be safer."

"Yeah, no kidding," Tony said, kicking his suit open and donning it. "Clint's got a change of clothes for you, Bruce, just in case we need the Big Guy."

"Good to know," Bruce said, looking around nervously. Thor moved to stand next to him, smiling reassuringly as he adjusted his grip on Mjolnir.

"Worry not, Friend Bruce. You may have no need for your other form today."

"Clothing is going to be an issue if we need him more than once," the scientist commented dryly.

"Clothing is going to be an issue for all of us," Clint stated. "We aren't going to be smelling like roses by the time we get to Edoras, just saying."

"Quiet!" Legolas hissed. "If it has not caught our scent I would prefer that it not hear us," he said softly. They fell silent, ears straining for any sign of the beast Legolas had heard. Slowly, the hoof beats and the growls faded into the distance West of them. "It has followed the herd, but it may return if it does not make a kill." He glanced at the sky. "The sun will rise above the horizon in an hour or so. I would prefer to track and kill the beast then, rather than risk it finding our trail and stalking us."

"Agreed," Steve said. "As I said before, you're the native here. We'll follow your lead."

"Have any of you ever hunted?" Legolas asked.

"Just Hydra," Steve answered. "Born and raised in a city."

"Hello, billionaire. Only thing I've hunted is terrorists and tail," Tony said with a shrug. "I do have the suit's sensors, though." He glanced at Natasha. "Don't give me that look, Romanoff. Especially since that's how Nicky-boy wanted you to get close to me when I was dying of palladium poisoning. Natasha merely raised an eyebrow at him, but held her tongue. Legolas huffed in irritation and held a baked root out to Tony.

"If you are not going to be quiet, use your jaws to eat your breakfast," he said, frowning at the billionaire. He handed Natasha's root to her without comment before turning to Clint and Bruce.

"I can track people. I've never had to track animals," Clint said, accepting his root in turn.

"In that kind of situation, the Other Guy is more apt to be involved than I am," Bruce said, shifting nervously. "And I think he tracks by smell."

"I have many times hunted on Asgard and on Midgard," Thor stated, carefully modulating his voice. "I have little experience with wargs, save for the few I have fought recently on Midgard." He accepted his root from Legolas with a nod of thanks.

"Remain quiet until I tell you otherwise," Legolas instructed, handing out the remaining roots before taking his own. "Clint, we have need of your skills. I will watch West and North if you will watch East and South. Look for any disturbance, anything out of the ordinary." Clint nodded briefly and scrambled up one of the large rocks, taking position. Legolas returned to the rock he had occupied previously while the others ate in silence.

Ooo

Just as the sun's rays began to stretch over the plains, Clint hissed a warning. "Riders, coming from the East!"

Legolas leapt down from his rock and swiftly joined Clint on his. "Here is some fortune for us finally! Eomer leads the Eored." He glanced down at the rest of the team. "Tony, it would be wisest to remove the suit for now."

"Geez, Keebler, make up your mind!" Tony grumbled, not truly disgruntled, and collapsed the suit back down into briefcase form. Legolas shot him a brief, amused look before standing up on the rock and lifting his bow into the air. The riders apparently turned toward them and he lowered his arm, but remained standing atop the rock.

Ooo

"Greetings, Eomer King! It has been too long since last we met," Legolas called out, grinning.

"Legolas? Sauron's balls, where have you been? Elessar's had half of Gondor looking for you!" the young king called back, apparently dispensing with protocol completely. Legolas threw back his head and laughed.

"That, my friend, is a truly epic tale with which I will regale you over ale and food at a later, more appropriate time. For now, let me make my companions known to you and then there is at least one warg to track down and dispense with."

"Four wargs, actually," Eomer corrected in his straightforward manner. "They killed a pair of children who were minding the herd at a village to the East of here. We've been tracking them for three days."

"Ah, no!" Legolas' expression clouded with a mix of grief and anger. "They passed here not two hours ago, chasing a wild herd."

"Introductions will have to wait, then. We will return when the wargs are dealt with," Eomer declared. "For now, bide here and we will return as soon as we may." He turned to one of his men. "Give them provisions and blankets that they may be as comfortable as can be out here. Dreogan, Wulf, Hannar, and Treod, stay with Lord Legolas and his companions. The wargs may circle back if they do not make a kill."

"I thank you, my lord," Legolas said, bowing with his hand over his heart. "We await your return." He hopped off the rock as the Eored thundered away. "Well met, Dreogan. How is your family?"

"Growing," the rider said with a scapegrace grin. "I've another son and daughter since I saw you last."

"That is six now, yes?" the elf asked, approaching Dreogan's horse and scratching under the animal's bridle strap.

"And another on the way," Dreogan confirmed, his grin widening.

"You will have an Eored of your own ere long," Legolas commented, chuckling. Dreogan laughed, dismounting to clasp arms with the elf.

"It's good to see you hale and whole. We feared the worst when we heard you'd gone missing."

"As I said to your king, it is a long tale best told over ale and food. Suffice it to say that I survived largely because of my companions here, and now I wish to assist them in returning to their home as they assisted me in doing. Come, let me introduce you." He drew Dreogan over to the Avengers as the other three riders saw to their horses. "Save for Thor, they speak some of my tongue and a smattering of the Common tongue. He and I will translate as needed."

"I wondered why you didn't offer to go with the king," the rider said. Legolas nodded.

"Had he requested it, I would have done so gladly. My friends would have been well looked after in your capable hands, even with the small problem of language." He turned to the Avengers. "My friends, this is Dreogan. I know him well from the War of the Ring. He speaks a little Sindarin, and he is fluent in the Common tongue which is fortunate because I speak very little Rohirric." He grinned at Thor. "I am not so fortunate as you, and we will need your assistance." The thunder god nodded and Legolas turned back to the rider. "My friend, may I introduce Steve Rogers, also called Captain, a great war leader; Anthony Stark, also called Tony Stark, he is a magician of sorts and a very learned Man; Clint Barton, a warrior and archer whose skill is as great as mine; Lady Natasha Romanoff, a shieldmaiden of great renown; Doctor Bruce Banner, a healer and one of the Wise and Prince Thor Odinson, a great warrior and heir to the throne of Asgard." Dreogan bowed to them collectively and turned to translate for his fellow riders. Legolas turned back to the Team. "Clint, I think you and I should continue to keep watch until Eomer returns."

"I second that one," the S.H.I.E.L.D. archer replied. "Hey, Cap, pass me some of that bread, would you?" Steve tossed him half a loaf. Clint caught it easily and turned his attention to the horizon. Legolas returned to his perch, and the others settled in to finish the meal Eomer had provided and wait.

Ooo

""Ware, something comes!" Legolas called softly, dropping down from his rock. Clint followed suit, readying his bow. The elf turned to the riders, quickly filling them in. "It is not Eomer, so we must assume that the wargs have found our trail," he explained to the Avengers. "Close fighting is not desirable with these beasts, as you know."

"Agreed," Steve said. "Legolas, please explain to your friend about Tony's suit. We need Iron Man's weapons for this. Tony, suit up."

"Good call, Cap." He waited until Legolas indicated that he had explained and then kicked the latches on his suit, the metal climbing up his arms, around his torso and down his legs. The riders drew back a little, but continued to ready their weapons. Dreogan issued several commands and they took their positions. Steve then turned to the other Avengers.

"Clint, up on the tallest rock. Eyes on everything. Tasha, cover Bruce and keep your backs to a rock. Unless everything goes to hell, your job is to guard Bruce unless we need the Big Guy." Natasha nodded curtly, pulling her guns out and clicking the safetys off. Bruce just drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Tony, get aloft and stay there once they attack. Thor, stay on the ground if you can, but if you need to fly to get the job done, do it." Steve hefted his shield and strained his ears for any sign of the beasts.

"I hear the Eored approaching from the Northwest," Legolas said softly. "They must have found the warg's trail and are trying to drive them away from our position."

"Yeah, not working," Clint said sharply, loosing an arrow. "At your one o'clock!"

A deep snarl sounded from the area Clint had indicated and Steve threw his shield. There was a resounding clang and it flew back to his hand. Legolas' bow sang then, and the bows of the riders immediately after.

"Shit! I hate these things!" Clint said, firing a third arrow into the lead warg.

"Aim for the eyes or the throat," Legolas called, drawing his bow again. Clint sent an arrow into the beast's throat at the same time that the elf sent one into its eye, downing it.

Tony took to the air, startling the horses, and hit the second warg with his repulsors, throwing it several feet into the air and back. It did not rise again. The third, momentarily stunned by the blow from Steve's shield, shook it's head groggily and snarled at the super soldier. Legolas fired an arrow into its eye, dropping it as well.

Thor raised Mjolnir and shouted, calling the lightning down and channeling it into the fourth warg. The beast flew backwards several yards and lay still, its fur blackened and smoldering.

"Clint, Tony, see any more of them?" Steve asked.

"Negative on that one, Cap," Tony said, "but I think we've got some 'splainin' to do to a certain king. There's no way he missed my repulsor fire or Thor's little light show." The thunder god chuckled at that and returned Mjolnir to its place hanging from his belt.

"Friend Tony, I believe he may be more concerned with your suit and the effect it has on the horses," Thor pointed out, turning to assist the riders in calming their beasts. He was surprisingly good with animals, the Team had discovered. Animals, and children, too, seemed to adore Thor and flocked to him wherever he went.

"Right. Tony, you and I will drag the carcasses off to a safer distance from the camp. Legolas, if you wouldn't mind trying to explain to your friends a little about us, I'd appreciate it. Might help if his men are okay with us by the time Eomer King sees them." Steve slung his shield onto his back and grabbed the nearest warg by it's hind feet, dragging it across the grass away from the camp.

"Eeeww. For the record, dead animal hauling is NOT on my preferred list of post-mission duties," Tony commented, wrapping a gauntleted fist around the left hind foot of another of the wargs and dragging it off.

"Don't be such a girl, Stark," Natasha sniped good-naturedly, stowing her pistols.

"Just for that you're off the Christmas list, Romanoff. I'm surprised you aren't trying to carve steaks off of one of these things." Legolas' head whipped around and he shot the billionaire a look of profound distaste.

"Ugh, gross, Tony! Do not make me hurl," the elf said. A brief, sharp laugh came through Iron Man's speakers.

"You have spent waaay too much time around Lewis, Keebler," he commented.

"She is a charming child," Legolas commented, retrieving his and Clint's arrows. "And really? You are nicknaming me after tiny cartoon elves who bake cookies in hollow trees?" Tony just cackled and Legolas rolled his eyes, turning back to Dreogan. The rider was eying the dead wargs with eyes gone round.

"Truly your companions are great warriors," the Man said, voice filled with quiet awe.

"Yes, they are," the elf agreed. "They are also kind and compassionate beings who work to defend those who cannot defend themselves in their homeland. That is how I met them in the first place. I had need of their help and they provided it, without being asked or compensated in any way, and without knowing who I was or where I had come from." His eyes darted to the rider's face. "Orcs are less kind to elves than they are to any other race, Dreogan. It was several days ere I could tell them anything at all." He smiled faintly. "I owe them much."

"There are no debts among friends," Thor said, coming up behind Dreogan. "We have done battle together, and you have aided us in defeating the foul creatures from your homelands that arrived in ours as you did. There is no debt, there never was." The rider nodded, moving away to see to his fellow riders.

"Even so," the elf insisted stubbornly, "you would not be stranded here were it not for me."

"Perhaps, but consider this: why are we here? One thing I have learned, albeit far too recently for my dignity, is that everything occurs for a reason. We are here for a reason, my friend, though we do not yet know what that reason is."

"Why does that not comfort me?" Legolas asked dryly. Thor threw back his head and laughed heartily.

"You, like our Captain, think far too much," the thunder god stated, clapping the elf on the back and making him stagger slightly. "Come, we must ensure that Anthony does not unduly anger Lady Natasha and cause her to render him unconscious. I do not wish to carry him to Edoras." Legolas snickered and allowed Thor to draw him back to the camp.

The Eored arrived immediately after that and Legolas found himself with no time to think of anything besides explaining the Team's abilities and function adequately to Eomer. Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, Thor assisted him in that endeavor to a great degree. Naturally gregarious and born to the politics of a ruling family, Thor was what convinced Eomer that the Team was no threat to his people. In short order after that, they were riding to Edoras; Legolas with Bruce riding pillion behind him, Clint with Natasha, Thor by himself and amazingly Tony, handling a horse almost as adeptly as one of his machines with Steve riding pillion behind him and looking as if he was certain he would fall off at any moment.

TBC


	9. Friends, Allies and Relatives

Title: Out of Space and Time ch9

Author: sheraiah

Rating: T (to be safe, there's some swearing)

Genre: Avengers/LOTR crossover

Summary: The Tesseract and the Bifrost aren't the only ways by which to travel between the worlds, and there are more worlds than Thor has spoken of. When one of the pathways goes awry, the Avengers are called in to clean up the resulting mess.

Disclaimer: If I owned any of it besides the plot, I wouldn't be slaving away in retail.

A/N: A reviewer questioned my take on Legolas' age. It was a respectful and intelligent question so I thought I'd address it here. Tolkien never gave an age for Legolas. He never gave us much information at all about our favorite elven archer. What little we do know is gleaned mostly from subtext and things Legolas says. There are some fantastic articles on the subject. My favorite is: essays/michael-martinez-1/michaelmartinezsuite101e ssay06. Another good one is: post/41313960261/how-old-is-legolas. And: . . Here's a good one on Legolas in general: legolas-mirkwood#age. My own take on him is that he's around 500 years old. Old enough to be an experienced warrior, young enough to be a bit of a pain in the ass to his companions at times. I'm sorry, but I'd have had to smack him for the 'off to find the sun' bit in the books. Boromir, Aragorn and Gandalf showed great restraint in not doing so.

The story arc that this belongs to is A/U. I do take small liberties with Legolas' history from time to time. This story and its outtakes will also be A/U to 'Iron Man 3". I've seen it and enjoyed it though it was the weakest of the trilogy, but I don't see the need to alter any part of this story to mesh with it.

Ooo

Tony groaned, stretching his back as soon as he had stepped away from the horse. Just feet away from him, Steve was performing similar contortions as was Bruce.

"Haven't been on a horse in twenty years," the billionaire commented. "I forgot about the whole 'sore in places you never knew you had' aspect of it."

"You ride pretty well, Stark," Clint observed, giving his mount a farewell scratch as a rider came to lead it away to be cared for.

"Expensive boarding schools place a high value on such things," Tony replied. "Walk around a bit , Cap. It helps." The super soldier merely nodded, taking Tony's advice and walking in a circle nearby. Dreogan approached, grinning. He handed a small pot to Steve. Turning he called to Legolas, who was just handing the reins of his horse to a rider. The elf walked over, listening to his friend for a moment.

"It is salve, to ease the soreness," he said. "Unfortunately, you will have to become accustomed to riding." Steve smiled, a slight lifting of the corner of his mouth.

"How do I say 'thank you'?" he asked. Legolas enunciated the phrase carefully and Steve turned to Dreogan, repeating it carefully. The rider grinned again, clouting Cap on the shoulder before walking away to attend to his duties. "I think we're going to need a vat of this stuff," Steve said quietly. Legolas chuckled.

"It may not be so terrible as that," he said, offering a sympathetic smile to both Steve and Tony.

"Easy for you to say," Tony snarked. "You're an elf and he's got the serum working for him. Some of us aren't so lucky."

"Legolas!" The elf turned towards Eomer, who had hailed him. "I'll have my men set aside a tent for you and your companions. Come to my fire when you're settled, all of you."

"As you wish, Eomer King! Thank you for your generous hospitality."

ooo

"That, my friend, is a tale to be sung for the ages," Eomer commented, raising his tankard and drinking deeply. Legolas merely smiled into his own tankard. "Dreogan and the others I left with you have all regaled the rest of the Eored with the tale of your bravery," the young king continued, casting his gaze across the Avengers.

"And we have heard of yours," Steve replied, raising his own tankard in Rohan's king's direction.

"Now that we have all eaten our fill, quenched our thirst and spoken of our battles, I would know how I may assist you. Legolas, you plan to travel to Minas Tirith, yes?" Eomer turned his attention back to the elf.

"Yes. I would worry my friends there no more than necessary." He smiled briefly. "I also value both my skin and my dignity far too much to not head straight there. Adar will have gone there, and Gimli with him. Besides, Arwen will have my head if I do not go there first."

"King Thranduil and Gimli will have arrived in the White City by now. They stopped in Edoras to pay their respects to me on their journey. I would say it is wise of you to pursue this course. Queen Arwen is the loveliest of ladies, saving my own lady of course, but I would not dare to cross her."

"At least she did not change your baby clouts, my friend. Count yourself fortunate as that subject always comes up when she is displeased with me," Legolas said with a chuckle.

"I don't wish to consider that. Eowyn is bad enough, and I am older than she," Eomer King stated with a grimace. "So," he continued, returning to the original subject, "you will need mounts, clothing, food and travel gear. These I will gladly provide. No, Legolas, I will hear no protest from you. You are our ally, and a friend. Besides, it would be churlish of me to allow warriors who aided my people to go wanting in my lands." He set his tankard down and stretched. "Return to Edoras with me and I will provision you for the remainder of your journey. Lothiriel would never forgive me if I didn't give her a chance to meet you and to scold Legolas for scaring the life out of all of us."

"If it will keep you in your lady wife's good graces, Eomer, I will bear the scolding with good humor," Legolas replied, grinning wryly. "And now, I think we should take our leave and seek our rest. Morning will come early, especially to those unused to riding."

"So I have been told," the king laughed. "I would not know, myself, having been ahorse ere I could walk. A good night to you all, then, and I will see you at dawn."

The Avengers bade their host good night and preceded Legolas from the king's tent. Their own tent, donated by several riders who were now bunking with their fellows, was towards the far end of the camp; in the camp far enough to prevent their leaving without being noticed and enough that they were well protected but far enough from the king's tent to prevent possible threat to him. Clint and Natasha commented briefly, and approvingly, of the Rohirrim's security measures as they walked to their tent.

"They are a good people as a whole," Legolas said. "Honest, brave and hard-working, and loyal to a fault." He would have said more, but a commotion at the edge of camp caught the attention of all of them. Catching Dreogan's arm as the rider passed, Legolas asked, "My friend, what is the matter?"

"Riders coming in, two horses and one carries double," the rider explained quickly before hurrying to his king's tent. Eomer emerged a moment later, strapping on his sword.

"Hang back," Legolas said to his companions, drawing them to stand where they had a good view but were somewhat shielded by the riders around them. "This will likely have nothing to do with us." They heard the unknown riders challenged at the edge of camp, and heard that challenge answered. Legolas drew in his breath, surprise warring with joy on his face. It was obvious that he recognized the voices of the unknowns.

"Who is it?" Bruce asked, hand on the elf's shoulder. Legolas opened his mouth to reply but closed it again as the riders came into their line of sight.

Two fine gray horses trotted into the open area that was lit by torches. Their riders were mirror images of each other, tall and athletically lean and clad in black with gray cloaks. The second rider's passenger was considerably shorter and broader through the shoulders and chest. He, too, wore a gray cloak but was clad in maille and wore an armored helm. He also carried two mighty war axes on his back.

"Is that Gimli?" Steve whispered to Legolas. The elf nodded, his eyes suspiciously moist. "And the sons of Elrond?" Another nod.

"Hail, Eomer King!" The first twin said, bowing in his saddle. "We bear a message from King Elessar."

"Your timing is fortuitous, my friends," Eomer said, moving to clasp arms with the first twin as soon as he dismounted. "I have tidings for you as well, and for King Elessar."

"Good news, I hope," the second twin said, aiding the dwarf down from his horse before dismounting himself. He moved to clasp arms with the Rohirric king as soon as his brother moved aside.

"Very good news, Lord Elrohir," Eomer said, grinning. "Gimli, son of Gloin, I did not think to have the pleasure of your company again so soon, but I am very glad to see you."

"And I you, Eomer King," the dwarf replied, his voice a pleasant bass rumble. "I hear you've been chasing wargs of late."

"You hear correctly and they've been dealt with," the king said, clasping arms with the dwarf. "Which brings me to the news I mentioned." He turned to the riders standing in front of Legolas and the Avengers. "Move aside so that they may see our honored guests." The riders parted like a curtain revealing the elf and his companions to the twins and the dwarf. For a moment silence reigned and then Gimli recovered himself.

"You blasted, thrice damned, reckless, brainless, point-eared scrap of mischief! Where in bloody Mordor have you been?!" He crossed the distance between them swiftly, pulling Legolas into a crushing embrace before drawing the elf's head down to touch foreheads with him. "If you ever do anything like that again, I'm going to take the flat of my axe to your worthless backside."

"I will try not to," Legolas said softly, gripping the dwarf's shoulders for dear life. "I have missed you, Elvellon."

"I missed you, too, lad. Now go and greet your cousins before they skin us both." Gimli patted his back before stepping aside and giving him a gentle push towards Elladan and Elrohir.

Elladan reached him first, drawing him into a fierce hug. "We thought we had lost you, you skinny piece of orc bait. The trail disappeared and we could find no trace of you." The elder twin released him and the younger stepped in to embrace him equally fiercely.

"Nothing, no sign of you anywhere. We found the Haradrim's camp, and the orcs' camp along with your weapons, and then nothing. It was like you vanished into the air." Elrohir's voice was thick with emotion, and Legolas had to swallow hard and blink his eyes to keep from disgracing himself.

"I fairly well did vanish into the air," Legolas said, resting his forehead on Elrohir's shoulder for a moment. "I will tell you all, as soon as I may." He took a deep breath, composing himself, and drew back a bit. "For now, give your message to Eomer King and then I will introduce you to my companions."

"The message is a bit tardy, I fear," Elladan said, laughing. "King Elessar wished to give you warning of strange folk traveling in your lands, though he felt that they meant your people no harm. He did say that he thought it might have something to do with Legolas." He turned to grasp the prince's shoulder. "And so it did."

"I am as thankful for his foresight as I am in awe of it," Eomer said. "He was correct, they do mean my people no harm. They disposed of the wargs rather impressively. You'll no doubt hear the tale from one of my riders. In the meantime, it grows late and we have some distance to travel tomorrow. My men will see that you're fed and housed for the night. You're more than welcome to travel with us back to Edoras if you wish."

"Thank you, we would be pleased to do so," Elladan replied, inclining his head to the young king.

"Good, I will see you at dawn, then." Eomer nodded to them and to the Avengers, and stepped back into his tent.

Ooo

"So, cousin, tell us how you managed to get yourself into this latest predicament," Elladan teased, settling down next to the campfire that the riders had prepared in front of the tent they had set aside for the Avengers. Introductions had been made, food had been provided to the twins and Gimli, and Steve and Thor, who were still a bit peckish, and they had all settled around the fire to trade stories before they retired for the night.

"I know not even still," Legolas replied. "Somehow, the orcs, the captive Haradrim and I were pulled from this world into theirs," he gestured towards the team, "and then we were all pulled back here. We have been unable to discover how it was accomplished or by whom. Even Tony and Bruce, who have two of the keenest minds that ever I have encountered have only theories as to how this was even possible. Nor does Thor, who travels regularly from his world to theirs and back."

"That it was done by means of magic, I am certain," Thor intoned. "But what spells were used or by whom, I do not know. As I said, were it not that Loki has been stripped of his magic and bound, I would suspect him. It may well be one of his allies."

"Or it could be someone completely unrelated," Steve put in. "We can't rule out that possibility, now that other worlds are aware of us."

"Can't do the equation without all the data," Tony said, tossing a twig into the flames. "Even if your douchebag baby brother isn't involved, Thor, he might've played show and tell with someone who is." He ignored the frown the thunder god aimed at him as well as the puzzled looks from the twins. Legolas quickly translated them and for Gimli, who sat beside him and the dwarf chuckled appreciatively at Tony's irreverent humor while the twins traded an arch look. "Or Steve might be right and it might be an entirely new douchebag that we're dealing with. Let's face it, douchebags kind of grow on trees these days."

"You keep using that word; I do not think it means what you think it means," Legolas said, grinning wickedly. Tony gave a bark of laughter.

"Wrong, Keebler, I know exactly what a douchebag is."

"Takes one to know one," Clint said, straightfaced.

"Says you, Birdbrain," Tony shot back. "That's good coming from the Rear Admiral of the entire douche fleet."

"Oh, good, I got a promotion," Clint retorted. "If you can't be good at least be good at it."

"All right, children. Play nice." Natasha pinned each of them with her gaze until they subsided.

"That would explain why your father couldn't sense you at first, wouldn't it?" Gimli asked, steering the conversation back.

"Yes." Legolas shuddered, remembering and Gimli placed a comforting hand on his forearm.

"Well, I for one am glad that your knack for finding friends wherever you go held true, lad, else we might not have gotten you back at all, much less healthy and in one piece." He looked over at Bruce. "You'll have to share your tricks for fattening up elves with us. He hasn't looked this hale since before the Quest."

"It was a group effort," Bruce said, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously.

"You speak our tongue fairly well," Elladan commented. He gave Legolas an amused glance. "Though I find it odd that Legolas taught you an Imladrin accent rather than a Silvan one."

"The Imladrin accent is easier for Men to understand," the prince of the Wood of Green Leaves said with a shrug. "It seemed the prudent choice, especially given the manner in which events have unfolded."

"Indeed." The elder twin scrutinized the prince for long enough to make him shift uncomfortably. "Are you certain that you have no gift of foresight, cousin?"

"Very certain. I have merely done far too many ill-advised things not to see the need to take any precautions available."

Ooo

"Go to sleep, laddie. Don't think I don't know you've been up to your usual tricks since you've been back. Let the Rohirrim keep watch in their own lands and save your strength for when we're on our own again." The dwarf gave Legolas a push towards his bedroll. The twins and Gimli had opted to share the Avenger's tent, it being large enough to house all of them ,second only in size to Eomer King's own tent. The twins went about the familiar routine of laying out their bedrolls and left the management of their younger cousin to Gimli. Rather than argue as he normally would have, Legolas merely smiled and sat down on his bedroll to remove his boots and and take down his braids without protest. Gimli arched a brow at him but didn't comment further.

Natasha and Clint lingered at the fire, giving the other members of the team a chance to make use of the salve once more before taking to their bedrolls. Steve passed it to Bruce, stating that he didn't need it any longer due to his enhanced healing. Bruce too, declared himself fit enough without it thanks to his irradiated state and passed it to Tony, who groused at both of them as he made liberal use of it before gingerly laying down on the bedroll he had been given. Steve went out long enough to douse the fire and let the assassins know that the coast was clear for them to seek their bed. By consensus, the team had decided to allow everyone to assume that Natasha and Clint were a married couple to avoid misunderstandings. Clint had commented that it wasn't as if it was the first time he and Natasha had played those roles. They bedded down together, as they had the previous night.

"I warn you, Gimli snores," Legolas commented into the darkness as soon as the lanterns were doused. The dwarf growled. The elf laughed and then yelped when Gimli clouted him on the leg.

"Yeah? So do Bruce and Tony," Steve said, the grin on his face evident in his voice.

"Laugh it up, Spangles," Tony's voice piped up. "At least I don't talk in my sleep."

"I don't talk in my sleep," the super soldier argued.

"Yes, you do," Clint and Tony said simultaneously. "And so does Thor," the billionaire added.

"Next one to comment gets tased in the balls," Natasha said evenly. "Go to sleep." A quiet snicker was heard from the elf's direction but wisely, no one chose to challenge the Black Widow.

Ooo

The sky had not even begun to lighten when Legolas emerged from the tent. Elladan looked up from the fire he had started and was patiently feeding.

"Good morn, cousin. Brother has gone to acquire some fish for our morning meal. I thought to make some fried bread."

"You will need enough to satisfy a family of hobbits, cousin. Thor and Steve eat like any three of those good folk each, and Bruce only a little less." Legolas took up the bowl and began mixing the ingredients for the bread.

"The rock will be hot enough soon." Elrond's older son commented, sitting back on his heels. "One thing I appreciate about traveling through Rohan is their tendency to have rocks of appropriate size and shape to be used as cooking surfaces."

"Fried bread is a nice change from porridge or waybread and dried meat," Legolas agreed amiably. "Have you any dried fruit to add to the bread?"

"Brother may have some dried apples left in his pack. I will check." The older twin rose and disappeared into the tent, returning a few moments later with not one but two small pouches. "Apples and berries. He has been holding out on me, it seems," he said with a chuckle. Legolas added both to the batter he had made and tested a few drops on the rock.

"We must wait a bit longer," he said, laying a cloth over the bowl. "I have missed traveling with you, cousin."

"It has been awhile," Elladan said. "Too long, in truth." He glanced at the sky. "Elrohir should return soon."

"Elrohir returns now," the younger twin said, handing a string of cleaned fish to his brother. "He also had the presence of mind to set a fish trap last night before retiring for the evening." He ruffled Legolas' unbound hair affectionately before sitting down next to his twin. The archer gave him a half-hearted scowl.

"Did you also have the presence of mind to find another rock or perhaps some green sticks for spitting the fish?" Elladan asked.

"No to the rocks, no to the sticks, yes to some broad leaves," Elrohir said, handing half to his brother. Between them, the twins made quick work of rolling the fish into the leaves and raking coals over them at the edge of the fire. He glanced at Legolas. "I rather like your companions, cousin."

"They are fine people and courageous, all of them," the archer said. "And they are also endlessly amusing," he added with a chuckle.

"You will have to tell us of your stay with them," Elladan said, holding out his hand to receive the bowl of batter from Legolas. "But at another time, as I believe I hear at least one of them stirring."

"It will be Steve. He is the only one who voluntarily rises so early." Legolas cocked his head, listening. "Gimli is awake as well."

"Good," Elrohir commented, "he can make the tea."

"Aye, I will, as neither of you can make it near strong enough and I don't fancy drinking the piss-water you'd make," the dwarf rumbled, preceding Steve out of the tent. He pressed the straight end of a curved piece of metal into the ground next to the fire. "I don't suppose you thought to fill my kettle for me."

"Happens that I did, Master Dwarf," the younger twin said, hanging it on the portion of the metal that curved over the fire.

ooo

The journey to Edoras was uneventful and the welcoming feast the Rohirrim put together was epic even by Tony's standards. They stayed in the city long enough to rest a little and for the provisions and equipment that Eomer King insisted on providing to be gathered, and in some cases modified for their needs.

On the eve of their departure, Eomer insisted on having a farewell feast. Tony remarked, "I like the Rohirrim: any excuse for a party. Reminds me of me."

"Only with fewer explosions," Natasha said, a hint of a smirk on her lips.

"That was just the one time, and might I point out that I was dying?" the billionaire retorted, waving his hand dismissively.

At dawn the next day the group of travelers set out for Minas Tirith, well supplied mounted on truly fine horses from the Rohirrim's herds. Steve and Bruce now rode on their own, having received instruction in the art of riding during their stay, and offered the occasional advice from those in their group better versed in riding than they were.

Ooo

Pepper Potts stood in front of the floor to ceiling bank of windows in the lounge of the Tower's common floor, gazing out over the nighttime cityscape, one arm wrapped around herself and the fingers of the other hand pressed to her mouth. Jane and Darcy approached her from behind, each wrapping an arm around Pepper.

"Thor is there. His father won't leave him on Arda and Thor won't leave the others behind," Jane said with utter certainty.

"Besides, Tony and Bruce are geniuses, Steve's a master tactician, Clint and Natasha are the deadliest assassin that S.H.I.E.L.D has and Legolas is from Arda and won't let anything happen to them. They'll be back before we know it." Darcy gave Pepper a comforting squeeze. Stark Industries' CEO took a slightly shaky breath.

"I know. And I know Tony well enough to know that he'll never give up trying to get everyone back." She gave both her companions a wobbly smile. "This isn't my first rodeo. Life with Tony is something of a roller coaster ride in the easiest of times."

"Come on, I'll make some tea and Jane's going to talk to Dr. Richards to see what we can do from here to get them back." Darcy drew Pepper into the kitchen and to one of the stools at the counter. "You need to concentrate on keeping Tony's company going while he's away."

"Fury and I agreed that the official story is that the Avengers are on an extended mission. I'll stall the board of executives as long as I can. I just hope it's long enough to get them back before I have to start fighting off takeover attempts."

TBC


End file.
